Extreme Measures
by Gwenhwyfar1984
Summary: Post HBP. When Hermionie's parents try and force her out of the wizarding world, she and Ron take desperate measures to stop it. RHr, HG
1. Chapter 1

Title: Extreme Measures

Author: Earllyn

Rating: K+-T

Pairings: Ron/Hermione with minor Harry/Ginny and Bill/Fleuer

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters. They are the property of J.K Rowling.

Author's notes: This takes place after the events of HBP and so contains spoilers from it.

* * *

Hermione sat in the back yard of the Burrow and sighed. She had just arrived after attending the funeral of Professor Dumbledore. The reality of his death had not quite sunk in yet.

But a more pressing matter was foremost in her mind. She was going to go home the next day and inform her parents of everything that was going on. She was not about to tell them about the Horcruxes, but she needed to fill them in on the war and about how much danger she really was in.

She knew Owls had been sent out informing the parents about Dumbledore and so right about now her parents would be freaking out.

She wished she had been more truthful with them. She had only told them that there was a "minor" problem in the Wizarding world but that it was "being taken care of".

She knew that once she told them they would try to force her out of that world forever. They would try to make her Muggle in a vain effort to protect her. And she did not know what to do about it.

They tried to be supportive as possible with her. They sent her to Hogwarts and went with her to Diagon Alley. But she could only expect so much from them.

"Mind if I sit?" She heard behind her and looked up to see Ron looking at her.

"Of course not." She replied. He sat and didn't say anything. "I can't…I can't figure out how I'm going to talk to my parents."

"What do you mean? Owls were sent out so they know about…"

Hermione sighed. "I mean, how I am going to tell them everything else. About the war and about Voldemort." Ron flinched.

"Well just tell then the truth. There isn't much they can do as Muggles."

"Yes they can Ron! They can make me give up magic and they can try and hide me!"

"No they can't. You're of age."

Hermione smiled a humorless smile. "To them I'm not. Not for another year. I'm only seventeen Ron. The legal age of adulthood in the Muggle world is eighteen. They still have power over me."

"But what will they do?" Ron asked, starting to panic.

"Probably confiscate my wand and books. Take me out of Hogwarts. Take me away to try and protect me."

"They wouldn't!"

"They will." She said, sounding like she was resigned to her fate.

"Then we have to do something about it."

"Like what?"

"Like…Like I don't know right now. But we will think of something."

Hermione just sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione stepped out of the Ministry car and turned to wave goodbye to everyone. She watched the car disappear down the street and reluctantly went in the house.

She was immediately met by her parents. Her mother pulled her into a hug and asked if she was alright.

"I'm ok Mum." Hermione answered in a flat voice. She looked at both of them. "I'm going to go put my trunk away then we need to talk. OK?"

Her parents looked at each other and nodded.

Hermione placed her trunk at the foot of her bed and let Crookshanks out of his carrier. How was she going to do this? How was she ever going to explain everything in a way to make them understand? She took a breath, steeled herself, and went downstairs.

They were sitting on the sofa patiently waiting for her. She looked at them and sat in a chair opposite them.

"Is this about the death of Professor Dumbledore?" Her father asked. "I get the feeling we do not know the whole story."

"No. You don't. But I think it is time you did know everything." She took a deep breath and began. "You know all the strange things that have been going on? Well it is because of…because there is a war going on in the Wizard world. A very bad war that I am involved in."

"_WHAT_!" Her mother exclaimed. "You're involved in…how! You've been in school!"

"It started about sixteen years ago when Lord Voldemort tried to kill Harry."

"When _who_ tried to kill Harry? Your friend Harry?"

"Lord Voldemort, the most evil wizard alive. And I can't get into all of that."

"Well you'd better young lady!" Her mother exclaimed.

"_I can't_! I _can't_ betray Harry's trust! Anyway, Voldemort went away for a while and returned, well in a way, our first year."

"This has been going on the whole time you have been in school! And you never told us?"

"No. I didn't. Voldemort returned two years ago, officially returned, and the war has been going on ever since. That's why Professor Dumbledore was…was murdered. Because he was trying to find a way to stop him."

"And you are…?" Her father started, trying to wrap his mind around everything.

"Yes. I am. I fought a battle at the Ministry of Magic last year. And I have sworn to be along side Harry in whatever he does. That is why…why I have to leave. I have a wedding to attend then…then I'm going with Harry and Ron. I'll probably be gone for a long time."

Mr. and Mrs. Granger stared at Hermione like she was a different person. And in a way she was. She was not just the bookworm girl they had raised. She hadn't been for a long time. Hermione just wished there had been an easier way for them to find out.

Her mother finally found her voice. "_No_! You're not going anywhere! Not to a wedding or back to that school or anywhere near any…magical person again!"

Hermione took a breath. "But I _am_ a magical person! And taking me away from it will _not_ help. I am _already_ in danger just because I am one of Harry's best friends! Hiding me _won't_ help. Voldemort is too smart for that. The _only_ way for things to change is for me to help Harry." She took another breath. "And _I am_ going to do it no matter what you say."

Her parents gaped at her. She had never before openly defied them. At this her father got up and headed up the stairs. Hermione ran after him, followed closely by her mother.

Her father stormed into her room and grabbed her trunk, beginning to drag it out.

"What are you doing?" Hermione cried.

"Confiscating your stuff. You can't leave without your magic stuff can you?" Her father said.

Her mother nodded approvingly.

"You can't do this! Why can't you understand-"

"We understand that we are your parents and it is our job to keep you safe. And if that means cutting you off from the magical world then so be it." Her mother said and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Hermione sat down on her bed in shock. She had thought they might react that way but for it to actually have happened… She jumped when she felt Crookshanks jump up onto her bed and look at her. At least they had not taken him. They still thought he was a normal cat.

She thought for a moment about what to do and immediately made a decision. She grabbed Crookshanks, made sure her wand was still secure in her belt, and decided to Apperate to the Burrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione Apparated into the middle of the Weasley's kitchen, much to the fright of the Weasley family. Mrs. Weasley let out a scream before she realized who it was.

"Oh! Hermione you scared me! What were you thinking?" She saw the look on the girl's face and grew concerned. "What's wrong dear?"

"What's going on Mum?" Ron cried running down the stairs with his wand at the ready. Ginny and Harry were close behind him. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"

Hermione let Crookshanks jump out of her arms as she sat down. "It happened. They took everything."

"Oh no!" Ron said and went over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I still have my wand and Crookshanks but… They want me to be cut off from everything."

Mrs. Weasley gave her a cup of something. Hermione gratefully took a drink and immediately began to feel calmer. "What is going on?"

"I-I told my parents about the war and Voldemort and Dumbledore. I informed them that I was going to help Harry and…and they freaked out. They want me to cut myself off from everything and everyone. They think it will keep me safe."

"What are they thinking? He has never had any problem killing Muggles." Ron said. Mrs. Weasley shot him a look.

"Well sometimes parents do what they think is right when it is wrong." Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I'll bet if you try and talk to them, or if I talk to them they will see reason."

"No! They won't! Mrs. Weasley my parents are Muggles. They know nothing of our world! All they know is I, their _only _child, their _baby_, is involved in something they'll never comprehend!" Hermione let out a sob and placed her head in her hands.

"What eez going on?" Fleuer asked, coming down stairs. "What eez wrong with 'Ermione?"

"Her parents are trying to cut her off from magic." Ginny answered.

"Well they cannot! She eez an adult."

"Not in the Muggle world."

Ron watched Hermione cry, greatly disturbed. She was always so put together, so calm and logical. He wished there was something he could do to help. He looked at Harry and Ginny but they obviously had no ideas. Then, as he looked at his mother, the answer came to him. "I know what to do!"

Hermione lifted her head and looked at him. "What?"

"We get married!" Ron cried. Then looked around as his mother dropped her cup and the room grew completely silent, everyone, including Hermione, looking at him in utter shock.

"What?" Hermione asked, trying desperately to fight the feeling Ron's suggestion had caused.

"Harry, Giny, can you please go upstairs." Mrs. Weasley quietly asked staring at her youngest son.

"Yes Mum." Ginny answered, pulling Harry with her. Harry didn't fight it but continued to look at Ron in shock.

"Fleuer? Could you please give us some privacy?"

"I will. But I just 'ave to say that that was so romantic!"

"Fleuer!" Mrs. Weasley roared. Ron jumped at his mother's yell and glanced at Hermione, who had not taken her eyes off him. Once she was gone she turned to Ron. "Sit." She ordered.

"Mum-" Ron started. Mrs. Weasley interrupted him.

"No. The answer is no."

"I was not proposing to you! Anyway, this is between Hermione and me!"

"Ronald-"

"Ron we haven't even been on a date!" Hermione said, saying the first thing that came to her mind.

"I know. And it is partially my fault for being such an idiot. But 'Mione." He said taking her hand. "I-I love you! And I don't want to lose you!"

"You love me Ron?" Hermione asked softly.

"Of course I do."

"Children!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "That is very sweet but…This is _marriage_ you are talking about! It is very serious and not something to be entered into lightly!"

"I know that Mum! But-" Ron was interrupted by the door and Mr. Weasley charging in. He saw Hermione and breathed a sigh of relief. "There you are. The Aurors keeping an eye on you panicked when you disappeared!"

"Aurthur maybe you can talk some sense into _your son_!" Mrs. Weasley said, obviously very upset.

"What's going on Molly? Why is Hermione here?"

"Well she told her parents about Him and the war and they panicked. They think cutting her off from our world will protect her. So Hermione decited running away was the solution. And _your son_ here now thinks that marriage is the best solution to all of this!"

"What's wrong with it? You and Dad got married when you were about our age!"

"That is completely different!" Mrs. Weasley cried.

"How!"

"Well for one we were out of school!" Mrs. Weasley started. Mr. Weasley laid an hand on her arm. "What!"

"Molly why don't you let me talk to the children?"

"Stop it!" Ron cried, angry. "We are not children!"

"Well you're acting like one!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"Silencio!" Mr. Weasley cast. Mrs. Weasley looked at him in shock. "Now Molly let me talk to them. Alone. Alright?"

She glared at him and nodded, heading upstairs. Mr. Weasley waited a few moments and turned to Ron and Hermione. He held up his hand. "No. I'm not going to lecture or anything. As you said, you both are adults. But I do advise that you sleep on this. At least for tonight. Please?" They nodded silently. "Ok. Hermione you know where Ginny's room is. I'll talk to you both tomorrow." He said and went upstairs.

Hermione got up and turned to Ron. "I'm not saying no. But I'm not saying yes either. Ok?"

Ron nodded. "Ok. I'll see you tomorrow 'Mione."


	4. Chapter 4

The minute Hermione walked into Ginny's room, Ginny pounced.

"I can't believe Ron _did_ that!" She exclaimed. "I have _never_ heard Mum so angry! What are you going to do?"

Hermione sighed and sat down. "I honestly don't know." She paused. "He said he loves me."

"I know." Ginny replied, holding up a pair of Extendable Ears.

"I-I love him too." Hermione said.

Ginny sat down next to her. "So…Does that mean you are seriously considering marrying him?"

"I guess I am. But I'm not sure Ron knew the seriousness of what he was asking."

"I assure you he does. He grew up in the Wizarding world. He knows." Ginny paused. "But do you really want to get married?"

Hermione thought for a few moments. "I-I think I do. Does that surprise you?"

Ginny smiled. "No. I always knew you'd end up together." She smiled and looked down. "Somebody deserves to be happy."

"Oh Ginny, I had forgotten about you and Harry! I am so sorry!"

"Don't be! Someone deserves to be happy in these times. I was foolish to fall for 'The Chosen One' anyway." Ginny said sadly, handing Hermione a nightgown. "You've got to admire Ron's logic though."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't know very much about Wizard marriages, do you? Once two are joined in marriage, they cannot forcefully be parted except by death. That's part of the Amor Aveum spell. That is why only people who are _truly_ in love can get married. It won't work otherwise. Ron must _truly_ love you if he has suggested this."

"I guess he does." Hermione replied with a small smile.

* * *

When Ron got to his room Harry was waiting for him. "Are you mental? _Marriage!_ To Hermione!"

"Don't start Harry." Ron said quietly.

"Ron you can't get married! What about-"

"Don't Harry! I heard enough from my Mum on the subject! I don't need my best friend to lecture me too!"

"I'm not trying to lecture you. I'm just saying that maybe you should think about this."

"Why Harry? It makes perfect sense! If Hermione and I get married then her parents can't force her to give up magic!"

Harry sighed. "But do you really _love_ her?"

Ron looked Harry strait in the eyes. "Yes. I do."

"Then I'm happy for you."

There was a quiet knock on the door. Harry answered it and found Hermione standing there looking slightly nervous.

"Hi Harry. Can I talk to Ron please?"

Harry nodded silently and left them alone.

Hermione looked at Ron for a few minutes without speaking. He didn't say anything, afraid that if he spoke it would seem like he was pressuring her.

"Alright." She said and smiled at him. "I'll marry you."

Ron looked at her, slightly shocked. "Are-are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright then."

As Ron moved to hug her he couldn't help but see the look of sadness in her eyes. And she didn't miss the look of slight fear in his.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione stared into the mirror. She gazed at the wedding robes she was wearing and the now smooth mane of bushy Brown hair. It had taken most of the day but Ginny, and amazingly Fleur, had helped her tame it.

She raised a hand to brush a lock out of her face and saw it was shaking horribly. Well it was to be expected. In just a little while she was going to get married.

Suddenly she found herself panicking. Her breath grew rapid and her heart was pounding. Reaching out blindly she felt the edge of her bed and she sat down.

'This was happening too quickly!' Her mind shouted. 'He only proposed two days ago!' But there was a reason. She needed to get married now; otherwise her parents would pull her out of magic. 'You _shouldn't _be getting married at all! You should go home and listen to your parents! They're your _parents_! They _know_ what's best!'

"They _are_ my parents." She said out loud. "But sometimes doing what is _safe _and doing what is _right_ are two different things. It is _right_ that I help Harry."

There was a knock on the door and a minute later Ginny and Fleur walked in, both wearing dress robes.

"You ready?" Ginny asked.

"No! I'm not!" Hermione gasped. "I-I can't do this!"

Ginny sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can. I know you can.

"I too am nervous about my own wedding. But I love Beel so I know et iz right." Fluer said. Hermione stare at her for a moment. It was strange, but she had grown to like the woman. Fleur had been very supportive.

Ginny smiled and adjusted the bun in Hermione's hair. "You should see Dad. He is completely nervous! He has never preformed a wedding before."

"I-I'm glad he could do it. I know it is normal that someone official from the Ministry does it but under the circumstances…"

"He's happy to do it. Well not happy but…" She paused. "Are your ready now?"

Hermione took a few deep breaths and nodded.

----------------------------------------------------

Up in his bedroom Ron was terrified. "Harry what have I done?" He asked. "I can't get married! I mean, we've never been on a date or kissed!"

Harry sighed. Ron was _just now_ realizing this? But he took the best friend road. "I know Ron. But you know you love Hermione and that what you are doing is for the best."

"Really?" Ron asked, fastening his dress robes and looking in the mirror. He saw that his hands were shaking. He had never been more scared in his life. Well…maybe during the fight at the Ministry, and the fight recently. But this was a different kind of scared. This was the 'My Life Is Changing Forever' scared.

He sighed and looked around his room. It was drastically changed. Gone were most of the Chudley Cannons posters and the bedspread. There was the occasional poster around though. His single bed had been replaced by a double and his Martin Miggs, The Mad Muggle comics had been stacked neatly in the corner. A lot of his other items had been removed to make room for Hermione's stuff. He knew it had been done by his mother who still wasn't speaking to anyone.

Suddenly his door burst open and in stormed Fred and George.

"Ready ickle Ronnikins?" Fred asked.

"We can't call him that anymore. He's about to be a married man." George said.

"Yeah but he'll always be ickle Ronnie to us." Fred said teasingly but with some warmth.

"How's Mum doing?" Ron asked.

"Still not speaking to anybody. Personally I wonder if she is still under Dad's Silencio spell."

Ron sighed and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

----------------------------------------------------

The ceremony was short, with none of the frills that were planned for Bill and Fleur's upcoming wedding. Hermione kept glancing around and trying to hide a sad expression. During one of her glances she caught Ginny reach out and grab Harry's hand. He didn't look at her but he didn't pull away either.

Mr. Weasley said some nice words and then indicated that they should place the rings on each others fingers and grip hands so the rings were touching. They did, both surprised to find the other's hand was shaking. Mr. Weasley aimed his wand at the rings.

"_Amor_ _Aveum_!"

They felt a slight warmth move threw them but it was over quickly. They were officially married. They looked at each other then hesitantly moved closer and lightly, quickly kissed. Ron looked away, embarrassed that their first kiss had to happen in front of his family.

There was of course a celebration party afterward. The twins had brought a lot of Butterbeer and other treats.

After a bit of Firewhisky Mrs. Weasley calmed somewhat and actually congratulated the couple. She then proceeded to burst into tears and the only understandable words were "Baby" and "Ronnie". This made the twins smirk and turn to Ron. He glared at them then looked at Hermione. She was smiling at something Bill had said but again he saw her glance around, a sad look in her eyes. She looked at him and smiled.

"Hermione!" Ginny cried, running up to her and enveloping her in a big hug. "I'm so glad we're family now! I always wanted a sister!"

Next to Bill Fleur sniffed. Bill placed a hand on her hand and gave his sister a stern look. Ginny answered the look with one that said 'I'm trying!'

Hermione hugged her back. "Me too. It's hard being the only child. And now I have six brothers and sisters!" She looked at Fleur. "Make that seven."

Fleur smiled at her and Bill gave her a grateful smile.

The party lasted until late in the evening. It would have lasted longer but Bill, Fred, George, Fleur and Mr. Weasley had to get to work the next day.

----------------------------------------------------

When Ron entered his (and now Hermione's) bedroom he was shocked to find her in bed clutching a pillow and sobbing.

"'Mione? What is it?"

She just shook her head and continued crying. He climbed in next to her and put his arms around her, not speaking, just letting her cry.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I just wish…I wish my parents could have been here."

He nodded. "I know. Me too."

"I'm sorry if I spoiled the wedding."

"You didn't. I thought it was great. Maybe not what I had expected when I was younger but…"

She sniffed. "Me either." They were silent for a while then she yawned, rolled over and looked at him. "Thank you. I know this wasn't an easy decision."

He smiled at her. "No problem 'Mione. And it wasn't _that_ hard of a choice."

She smiled shyly and gave him a light kiss. She turned a light shade of red and layed her head on his shoulder.

Soon he heard her breathing lighten and even out and he knew she was asleep. "I love you Hemione." He whispered and soon was asleep himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Krissy-Jane: I know all about the Ron/Lavender fling. And Hermione/Viktor. What I meant by first kiss was their first kiss _together_. I hope that clears things up!

* * *

Hermione was just placing her wand in her belt when there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in." She called.

Ron walked in a second later. "Mum wants to know if you're ready to go."

She nodded. "I'm not but I know it needs to happen sooner rather than later." Now that they were married it was time to go see her parents. Hermione was dreading it. She did not want to see the looks of disappointment and hurt she knew would be on their faces. She decided to change the subject. "Ron this is your room too. You do not need to knock."

He turned bright pink. It clashed greatly with his hair. "I just wanted to make sure, you know, that you were um…"

Hermione looked away. "Thank you." She sighed sadly.

"It'll be ok. You won't be alone in this. Me and Mum and Harry and Ginny will be there too." He said, placing a hand on her arm.

She looked at him. While it was true that she wouldn't be alone, somehow that didn't comfort her. She reached over and took his hand. "Thank you Ron."

When they entered the kitchen and found everybody waiting. Mrs. Weasley looked at her. "Are you ready dear?"

Hermione was startled at her caring tone. It was a vast difference from the last few days. "Yes Mrs. Weasley."

Everyone filed out of the house and into the waiting Ministry cars. Since the Knight Bus was no longer running, it was their only option.

The ride was done mostly in silence. Everyone seemed to know that this was going to be very hard on her.

Once at her house Hermione stepped out of the car and stared at it. The simple two story brick building. The place she had grown up in. She felt her heart break at the thought that she was leaving it, more than likely forever.

Suddenly the door opened and out ran her parents. Her parents ran up to her and, to everyone's utter shock, especially her own, her mother slapped Hermione.

"_How dare you_! How dare you run away and make us worry like that! We didn't know if you were alive or dead!"

Hermione placed her hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry Mum!"

Mr. Granger put his arm around his enraged wife. "Let's take this into the house."

Everyone filed inside and the Grangers turned to face their daughter and the Weasleys.

"Well? You had _better_ have a good explanation for your actions Hermione!" She looked at everyone else. "And just _who are you_!"

"I am Mrs. Weasley. These are my children Ron and Ginny and this is Harry Potter." Mrs. Weasley introduced.

"Harry-_You're_ the one who got my daughter mixed up in all of this! She was-"

"No! Don't you _dare_ blame Harry!" Hermione yelled. "It's not his fault or mine! I have _chosen_ to help him!"

"That again! Well I hope you don't think you're going anywhere after your little stunt!"

Hermione took a breath. "I am and there is nothing you can do. Especially now." She held up her hand. "I'm married Mum and Dad."

They looked at her like they didn't even know her. This was, in a way, true.

"You're what?" He father asked.

"Married. Yesterday. I'm sorry but…but it was the only way I could…" Her voice broke and she felt someone place their arm around her for support. "The only way I could make sure I was able to do what I need to do."

Mrs. Granger sat down on the sofa. "How? To who?" She asked quietly. Everyone was relieved that she was no longer yelling.

"In the Wizarding world I am an adult. Because of this I was able to get married" She reached out and took Ron's hand. "To Ron."

Her parents just stared at her and she saw what she had been dreading; the looks of hurt and disappointment. "In that case, why are you here?"

"To tell you. And to hope that maybe you would see how serious I am about this and accept my decisions."

Her father looked away and didn't say anything. Her mother also looked away but told her quietly to just get her things and leave.

Hermione nodded and silently went upstairs. Ron, Harry and Ginny followed her.

Nobody said anything, just helped her pack her things up into boxes that Mrs. Weasley had conjured. Hermione wanted to take everything but knew that was impossible. So she just packed her clothing and a few other items. After some searching she found her trunk in the hall closet. They took everything downstairs and Mrs. Weasley sent them to the Burrow.

Hermione turned to her parents. "Mum? Dad? I-I'm sorry it had to be like this. I wish-"

Neither of them would look at her. "Just go Hermione." Her mother whispered.

Hermione nodded and went out to the car. Once everyone was inside and it started to pull away, she leaned on Ron's shoulder and proceeded to release the tears that she had been fighting all day.


	7. Chapter 7

Ron came down to breakfast one morning and laid his head on the table, yawning. It was still very early so the only ones up were Ron and his parents.

"What's the matter Ron?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"I haven't slept properly in four days." He muttered. "It's Hermione's fault."

Mr. Weasley smiled and turned back to his edition of The Daily Prophet.

"Dad?" Ron asked, raising his head. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it Ronald?"

"Well I'm not sure how to…" He paused and continued. "Well Hermione…she snores. Loudly. I put a charm around the room so it would not disturb anyone else but it disturbs me! I thought about using a spell on myself so I won't hear it but what if she awakens and asks me something and I can't hear. And I won't use a spell on her without her agreeing. That's just wrong. What do I do?"

Mr. Weasley looked at his son and started laughing. Ron's ears turned red and he laid his head back on his arms, muttering to himself. He known he should not have mentioned it but he needed sleep.

"Welcome to married life son! My advice is to try to get to sleep before her."

Ron sighed.

"What's so funny?" Mrs. Weasley asked walking into the kitchen.

"Nothing dear; just husband problems." Mr. Weasley answered and went back to his paper.

The Weasley family members who did not work decided to make a trek to Diagon Alley to get gifts for Bill and Fleur's wedding.

"I really don't know what to get them." Ginny was telling Hermione. "I mean, I'm just getting to like her."

Hermione sighed. "I think that is the problem we are all having. Maybe shopping together will help." She said and took her place in line in front of the fireplace.

The first place they visited was Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. It seemed they were having a sale in honor of Ron and Hermione's marriage. They walked inside and found the place was once again, packed.

"That's right everyone, everything is 15 percent off in honor of our youngest brother's marriage!" George was saying. He spotted his family. "And here they are now! My brother Ron and his wife Hermione!" George announced, drawing attention to the group by the door. Ron and Hermione both turned red and looked down in embarrassment.

Leaving George the deal with the crowd Fred went over to his family.

"How's married life?" He asked the still embarrassed couple.

"No different from single life." Hermione answered. Ron nodded in agreement and yawned.

"Well our wedding gift to the two of you is this. Today anything you want in the store is free! Enjoy!" He said with a grin, not missing his mother's look of disapproval.

As the newlyweds made their way through the store, people kept coming up and congratulating them. They were polite but it sort of annoyed them, as they did not consider themselves as _married_ married, just one friend helping another.

They failed to notice one person near the front of the store glare at them and quietly sneak out.


	8. Chapter 8

The person left the Weasleys's shop and immediately apparated to an unknown location. They walked up to a man who was waiting and spoke.

"It's true. He has married the Mudblood."

The man sighed. "This is bad."

"May I ask why? How does it affect the Dark Lord's plans?"

"They are Harry's best friends and always help him. And now they will be stronger together. This adds to Harry's defense."

"So…"

The man merely pressed his lips into tight lines and went to report.

* * *

Harry was very confused. He did not know where he belonged anymore. His best friends were now married and he was uncomfortable around them.

He knew if he talked to them they would protest. Say that they might be married but they were not _married_. And it was true that they did not act mushy around him. He had never even seen them kiss except at the wedding. But they were beginning to act more like they were _married_. It was subtle, looks and smiles and a feeling around them. He was not sure they realized it yet but it was there.

Hermione and Ron came downstairs, Hermione giggling at something he was telling her. They sat down for breakfast and Harry watched, amazed, at their actions.

First, Hermione added some fried potatoes to her plate then Ron's. Ron smiled and put some scrambled eggs onto her plate then his. This continued until they were both dished up. Harry's mouth hung open and he glanced at Ginny who just grinned.

Harry sighed and finished eating.

"I think it's cute." Ginny told him later.

"Cute! It's bizarre! And have you noticed they have not argued since they got married?"

"That's part of the spell Harry. It is making them realize, without _realizing_, that they are in love."

"But where do I belong Ginny? I'm…I'm-"

"Their friend Harry. That has not and never will change. Why do you think they did this? So they can fight alongside you! Both of them."

"I know. I just…" He smiled. "At least they are not snogging around me!"

Ginny sighed. "I don't think they are snogging at all! Pity really. They can and nobody would think anything of it as they are married."

They watched as Ron and Hermione went into the garden to de-gnome it. They watched as the couple worked and talked. Harry had never seen them happier. He was mostly happy for them, in these times everybody deserved to grab what happiness they could. But a part of him wished he could be like them; happy with someone. He quickly glanced at the girl next to him and saw her staring, a longing look in her eyes. Slowly her hand inched towards his until she grabbed it. He squeezed it for a moment then pulled away. He couldn't get involved with her again. His life right now was so dangerous and complicated that it would just be wrong. Throwing one last look at the couple, and making sure not to look at Ginny, he went in the house.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm soo not good at writing action. In fact I'm terrable at it. So anyone who was expecting a big battle secne will be disapointed. However, if you wanted some Harry/Ginny angst and Ron/Hermione romance you won't be disapointed!

* * *

The Death Eaters snuck up to the back of The Burrow. It was quite obvious everyone in the Weasley household was deep asleep and had been for a long time.

"Why are we here again?" A Death Eater wined. It was 2 in the morning and she was tired.

"Because the Dark Lord said so." Was her answer.

"Why is he so interested in them? I know they are Potter's best friends, and one is a Mudblood, but-"

Her companion advanced towards her, wand raised. "You dare question the Dark Lord's orders!"

"No! I-I'm sorry." She said and he nodded to the house.

She nodded and with a sigh blasted in the kitchen door.

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Ron sighed and stared at the ceiling. Hermione was sound asleep and snoring. He had been able to put a minor spell on himself for a few days to get some sleep but one night Hermione had got up to use the bathroom and when she returned had tried to speak to him. He of course had not heard her and…well there had been an argument. Needless to say he had not used the spell again.

He glanced at the sleeping girl next to him and rolled over, still not quite used to sharing a bed. Heck, he was not used to sharing his life! He glanced at the ring on his finger and frowned.

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Harry walked down the steps and into the kitchen. He was surprised to find Ginny sitting at the table with a mug of Hot Chocolate and playing with Arnold.

"Oh Hello Ginny." He said and fixed himself a mug.

"Hi Harry. Couldn't sleep either?"

He shook his head and briefly debated for a moment whether he should join her at the table. He set his mug on the table and pulled out the chair next to her. She looked at him in surprise and pulled her robe tighter.

"We need to talk Ginny."

"About what?"

"Ginny…we agreed that there would be…that we would no longer see each other. But I've got this feeling that…that you still-"

He was silenced by her laughing.

"You're an idiot Harry, you know that?" She leaned over and lightly kissed him. "I agreed to this but that does not stop me from still liking you!"

He looked stunned and it was that moment that the kitchen door burst open in a shower of wood. Harry grabbed his want and got up, ready for a fight.

A man and woman he had never seen before stood in the doorway. The next thing he knew he was ducking a curse. He counter attacked and the woman was momentarily thrown off her feet.

"Well if it isn't The Boy Who Lived." The man said. "Look, we don't want you. You're meant for the Dark Lord."

He looked past Harry, who was blocking Ginny even though he knew she could fight, to the stairs. Footsteps could be heard and the next moment Ron, Hermione, Bill, Fluer, and the elder Weasleys were flooding the kitchen. A spell was cast, Harry wasn't sure what, and the man was thrown off his feet and out the door. By this time the woman was getting up and holding her wand out threateningly. "We don't want all of you, just the Mudblood and her husband."

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Ron stepped forward, ready to blast these Death Eaters to bits. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw his father throw him a look. The next instant a spell hit the Death Eaters in the center of their chests and they fell over, either unconscious or dead, Ron wasn't sure which. His father went outside and Ron thought he saw a flash of some spell.

Mrs. Weasley placed a hand over her mouth and took a step after her husband. She turned around and Ron saw pure terror in her eyes. She glanced at the clock, shuddered since all the hands were still on Mortal Peril and looked back at them.

"Everything is alright now. You can go back to bed."

"Mum we were just attacked by Death Eaters!" Bill exclaimed.

"I know that Bill. But it has been taken care of and your father just contacted…just go to bed, alright." She said in a tone that left no room for argument.

He stared at his mother and then let Fluer lead him upstairs.

Ron followed and went into his bedroom Hermione, Harry and Ginny were right behind him.

"What? Why?" Ginny asked and Harry put his arm around her.

"Well Mum and Dad are members of The Order…and Harry is The Chosen One so…it was bound to happen." Ron said carefully.

"No. You heard the man. They were after me." Hermione said and sat on the bed.

"'Mione don't. I don't know why-" Ron started, trying to comfort his wife.

"Don't Ronald! You heard him! They were here because of me!" Hermione cried.

The couple was unaware of Harry and Ginny, who glanced at each other and quietly left the room.

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Hermione stared at Ron then got up and grabbed her trunk. She ignored Ron and began to throw her things inside.

"What are you doing!"

"I'm leaving. I-I'll go back to my parents. Maybe-maybe they'll-" She broke off.

Ron went over to her and placed his hands on her arms in an attempt to stop her. "Hermione. Hermione stop!"

She spun around. "No! I-I can't stay. I-I can't put anyone in more danger because…because I'm a Mudblood!"

"Don't you ever call yourself that again!" He said with deadly seriousness, filled with anger at the people who had made her fill this way. "Hermione we all knew there was a risk, knew that the Death Eaters are racist jerks, but this family is already a target!" He placed his hands on her wrists. "Please don't go."

"Why? Why do you want me to stay? I-this isn't a real marriage! It's just something to get me away from my parents." She sat down on the bed.

Ron knelt in front of her. "Hermione you know I-I married you because…because I love you."

She sighed. "I know you said that but-"

He held up his hand. "If it wasn't true the spell wouldn't have worked, would it?"

She glared at him. How dare he use logic on her!

"I-I guess not." She bit her lip and tried not to cry. "I just don't want to put anyone in anymore danger."

He leaned forward. "We're Harry's best friends. How much more danger can we get in?"

She laughed. "True." She paused and studied him. "When did you get so logical and…grown up?"

"I guess…when I married you. It was bound to happen anyway."

She leaned forward and placed her forehead on his. "I love you Ron." She said softly.

He looked her in the eyes. "I love you too Hermione." Slowly he leaned in, lightly pressing his lips to hers. He could tell she was surprised so he just held his mouth against hers, not moving. He felt her reach up and cup his face and pull him closer.

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Hermione did not know what had gotten into her! She was currently seriously kissing Ron and it felt _right_. Sure they had kissed in the past; at their wedding and that night. There were a few other times too but all of them had seemed like…acting. This…this was right, perfect. For the first time she felt like she was in a relationship. That she was married.

She felt Ron place his hands on her waist and lightly move his thumbs in circles. She pulled him closer and hesitantly opened her mouth running her tongue across his lips. He pulled back in shock.

"I'm sorry." She said, embarrassed.

"Don't be. I was just…surprised." He looked down and his ears were bright red. "Actually I liked it."

Hermione giggled and pulled him into another kiss.

Ron hesitantly moved his tongue into her mouth and explored. He knew it was right because she whimpered slightly and pulled him closer. He ran his hands up her back and into her thick, bushy hair. She moved her hands down to his waist and hesitated before moving under his shirt and up his back. As she moved she pulled his pajama top up.

He pulled back and stared at her. She blushed and looked down.

"I'm sorry again. I-if you don't want to…"

He stammered. This was _Hermione_! "No. I-I want to but…do you want to?"

She bit her lip and looked at him. "Yes." She replied softly, bright red. "But I-I mean I've never-"

Rom smiled. This was the first time he had seen her at a loss for words. "Me neither." He told her softly before kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down onto the bed with her.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I just have to say a HUGE thanks to Disabled-Cloud-Flyer for all of the help given in this chapter!

* * *

Ron went down to breakfast the next morning not knowing how to act. Did he act mushy? Hug her? Kiss her? So he decided to completely ignore her. 

He sat down at the table and looked around, ignoring Hermione of course. Fleur was talking to Bill about the wedding. Ginny was looking at Harry and Harry was looking everywhere but at Ginny. "I know how you feel mate.' He thought. His mother was putting the food out. He quickly looked away from her. She knew him the best. Would she be able to tell what had happened?

He looked for his father but he was nowhere to be seen. Ron shrugged and dug into his eggs. A few minutes later his father came in from outside, followed closely by Lupin and Tonks. Ginny jumped up and ran to Tonks, hugging her fiercely.

"Hello everyone." Lupin greeted. "Seems you had an eventful night."

Everyone nodded and began to eat.

"Who were they?" Bill asked.

"They were two Death Eaters. I'm assuming low in the chain and not very important. We think they were sent to gauge just how strong everyone here is. Do not worry, they are in custody now." Tonks explained.

Arthur cleared his throat. "The important thing is we seem to have moved up on You-Know-Who's list. That is why…we have come to the decision to move everybody to Grimmauld Place."

"NO!" Harry exclaimed, dropping his fork onto his plate. "I won't go back there!"

Mrs. Weasley placed her hand on his shoulder. "We understand Harry but…It's safer there and right now we need it."

"But how do you know it's safe. I thought Dumbledore…" he trailed off.

"It took some strategic thought but we figured it out." Lupin explained, looking at Harry in sympathy.

Harry stared at his plate and nodded slightly. "Fine." He then got up and stormed upstairs.

"The rest of you need to finish your breakfasts and go start packing. Just bring the necessities." Mrs. Weasley ordered quietly.

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Hermione picked at her food, not listening to anybody until she sensed somebody plop down in the chair next to her. She looked up, startled to find everybody gone and Tonks grinning at her.

"Congratulations!" the pink-haired woman grinned. "I'm sorry I couldn't attend your wedding."

"It's alright. It's no big deal."

"So what's it like to be married?"

Hermione felt her cheeks go red as she remembered the previous night. "Hardly any different from not being married." She excused herself and went upstairs.

As she went through the second floor hall she heard a loud voice.

"Vat about our _wedding_!"

Hermione paused and saw that Bill and Fleur's door had not closed all the way.

"Fleur honey our wedding will happen. Just not this summer. Some things are more important!"

"Vat iz more important than love?"

"Nothing is more important than love. But in order to love, you need to be alive!"

Hermione heard crying. "I just vant to be your wife."

"You are already my wife in my mind. We can still get married, but simply, like Ron and Hermione. Having so many wizards gathering together is just foolish right now. Especially since we are on You-Know-Who's radar."

"But…" She trailed off and then Hermione heard a loud sob. "Alright." A pause. "I vaz so scared last night!"

"I know. I was too. But I would not have let anything happen to you. Ever"

"I know. I love you Beel. Even if…if you or I …die, I vill always love you."

Hermione walked away from the door and leaned against a wall. She had always imagined that would be what her marriage would be like; full of love and closeness. Like her parents.

At that thought she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She had not thought about them, at least not consciously, for a while. She missed them terribly and wondered how they were, if they were safe…if they still loved her.

She felt like she was betraying them in every way. She felt like she was betraying herself.

Sure she loved Ron; she loved every one of her friends. But was her love for Ron _real_? Did the spell know the difference between True Love and the love of friends?

It was true they had been intimate the night before, but was it because they loved each other or because of the emotional events? She honestly did not know. Now she felt very awkward around him.

Maybe she should just give up and go back to her parents. But would they even want her back? She decided that before they left she would send an owl to them. The least she could do is let them know she was alive and doing well. Maybe they were no longer mad at her. She was their baby and they never could stay mad at her very long. But then she had never done anything of this magnitude before.

Hermione fought back some tears and continued her way upstairs.

She entered her bedroom and found Ron had almost packed everything. He spoke but didn't look at her. "I packed all of your clothes and books. All you have to do is put Crookshanks in his carrier."

At the sound of his name the cat looked up from his spot on the bed and glared at him. Ron shuddered.

"Thank you Ron." She sat down next to her cat and looked towards the door. "Should we go check on Harry?"

They found Harry sitting on his bed looking at a small object. He quickly shoved it into his trunk.

"I'm not going back there!" He told them firmly.

"Then where will you go?" Ron asked.

"I'll-I'll go back to the Dursley's. Spend the summer there before I go. I have to anyway."

Hermione nodded. "Alright. It's your choice."

As she turned to go Ron looked at her in shock. "That's it? You're not going o try and use logic or something to make him come with us?"

She turned back to her husband and best friend. "It is his choice Ronald. We're no longer children, any of us. It's time we started acting like adults! If he wants to be childish and stubborn, so be it! Now if you'll excuse me I have a letter to go write."

At that she left, leaving the boys staring in shock.


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione sat at the desk Mrs. Weasley had placed in the room for her and tried to start her letter. This was one of the hardest things she had ever tried to do.

_Dear Mum and Dad. I am writing to let you know how I am doing. It has been a while since we have spoken or seen each other and I thought that_

She paused and tapped her quill against the desk. 'You thought what Hermione? That they'd just let you back with open arms?' She continued.

_you_ _would like to know that I am doing alright. I am helping around the house like you taught me._

'Oh that's good! Maybe flattery is the way to get to them!' her mind snorted.

_Everybody else is doing fine. Bill_ _and Fleur are still planning their wedding. Harry_ _and Ginny are trying to work their relationship out. Ron_ _is doing alright too. He is a very good husband. He has changed a lot from that boy I used to complain to you about._

Hermione noticed her hand was shaking and she took a deep breath before continuing.

_I really miss you Mum and Dad. I wish you would accept the choices I have made in my life._

_I wish you would accept me for who I am._

_Love, Hermione._

Hermione set down her quill and took deep breaths to stop from shaking. She choked back a sob and carefully folded the letter and put it in an envelope. Next she went to Ron's owl and attached the letter to him. "I know they are Muggles but I need you to get this to my parents. Alright Pig?"

The tiny owl hooted cheerfully and took off. Hermione stared after him feeling very apprehensive. She bit her lip and wondered how her parents would react. Would they write her back and demand she come home? Would they ignore her completely?

* * *

Harry was stuffing the last of his items in his trunk when Ginny burst into his room. She looked at him and shook her head.

"So it's true. You'd rather go back to you're abusive family than go where it is safe and you have people who lo-like you! Merlin, Harry you really are stupid!"

He turned on her, not meaning to take his anger out on her but as she was there… "Why would I want to go back there Ginny? Sirius hated the place, he was a virtual prisoner there the latter part of his life! Why would I want to go there?"

"Because you would be safe. And…because I would be there." She answered quietly.

Harry stared right into her brown eyes. She bit her lip but didn't look away, making sure he knew how she felt.

"Ginny…I can't be your boyfriend."

"Yes you can Harry. Why don't you see that? My family is already a target. My parents are Order members; my brother is your best friend. It makes no difference whether we are together or not in the eyes of…of him. I…care about you Harry. I have for a long time."

Harry felt hopelessly conflicted. He wanted to keep her safe. Her being with the most wanted one on Voldemort's list would not do that. She did have a point though. Her family was already a target. Would it really work between them?

He licked his lips nervously, feeling self conscious under her gaze. He looked around as he tried to sort out his feelings then back at her. He truly did have feelings for her. Should he be selfish or noble?

Finally he decided on maybe trying it. Maybe she was right and he was being foolish.

"I care about you too Ginny. A lot."

She grinned at him and reached up, pulling him down to her and into a kiss. He hesitated and placed his hands lightly on her waist, pulling her to him but not tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe, trying to deepen the kiss. He lost himself in the feeling and lost track of time.

He broke the kiss and placed his forehead on hers. "I want this to work but…I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger Ginny. I don't want anything to happen to you because of me."

She nodded. "I understand. Just remember I can take care of myself. I'm a darn good witch!"

He grinned. "Yes you are."

"So will you come with us? Please Harry."

He looked at the ground and fought against his natural instinct to run. Hermione was right. It was time to be an adult.

"Yes Ginny. I'll go with you." He told her and hoped his voice wasn't as shaky as it sounded to him.

* * *

Everybody gather downstairs with their things. It was a very tight squeeze, what with eight people, boxes and trunks, bird cages and cat carrier. Mr. Weasley stood in front of the fireplace and held the bucket of Floo Powder.

"We're traveling by Floo? I didn't think we could because the ministry doesn't know about the house." Harry said.

Mr. Weasley smiled grimly. Moody hooked it up just this once. I know no more than that. Alright one at a time."

Bill stepped forward first. He grabbed a handful, threw in into the fireplace and walked in. "12 Grimmauld Place" He said in a clear voice.

Ron saw Hermione standing back from the line and went over to her. She kept glancing out the window and sighing. He knew she had sent an owl to her parents a few hours ago and was worried about their reply.

"He's not back yet. I hope that is a good sign."

He felt so bad for her. He couldn't imagine being estranged from his parents like that. It was hard enough when his mother would not speak to him before the wedding.

"I'll imagine it just means they are writing a long letter apologizing. " He watched as Harry's turn came. He tossed the powder in and said his destination. Ron didn't miss the grimace.

"It's going to be hard for him. He hates that house almost as much as he hates his uncle's." Hermione said as she glanced out the window again. "How will Pig find us? No owls are aloud to come and go from Grimmauld."

"It's alright. I'll come here everyday after work to check for Post and things like that." Mr. Weasley told her with a reassuring smile. "Now it's your turn."

Hermione took one last look out the window and grabbed a handful of powder.

* * *

12 Grimmauld place was just as everyone remembered. It was still dark and dank with relics of the Black family everywhere. They walked around, about to head up to their rooms and get organized when Mad-Eye Moody and Minerva McGonagall greeted them. It was obvious McGonagall was trying to put on a brave front but her eyes betrayed her.

She turned to Ron and Hermione and looked at their hands. "I never would have thought it. Congratulations. Albus always did say you were destined to either hex each other or get together. I'm glad you chose this." She now addressed everybody. "Everyone's rooms are prepared. You can go on up."

Hermione looked at McGonagall and was given a small smile. She grabbed her trunk and followed Ron.

As they were putting things away Mrs. Weasley knocked on the door. "The members want to speak to you right away." Hermione glanced at Ron and felt an uneasy feeling.

In the dining room Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Bill, McGonagall, and Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, were already seated, looking at the children hesitantly. They gestured for everyone to have a seat. McGonagall looked at Harry and Ginny.

"While you are still underage and it is against Order policy, we have decided to let you attend this meeting. What we have to say does affect you all." McGonagall informed them.

"Now as you well know you were attacked recently and the Death Eaters wanted Hermione and Ron instead of Harry. No offence to anyone intended, but we thought this was strange. After a bit of research we think we know why." McGonagall paused and continued. "It is because of love."

Everyone looked at them in puzzlement. "Love?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Love." Moody said in distaste. "Think about it Potter. Love is what saved you. Love is what protected you all those years. Love is very powerful. Now that your two friends are happily married and in love, they are very strong. Not stronger as in spells, Merlin knows Miss Granger does not need that! Stronger as a couple. Safer. Excellent sidekicks but not excellent to him. It makes since he would want to get them out of the way."  
Everyone nodded and Hermione tried to sort this out. They had not wanted her because of her heritage but because of love? It made no sense!

"The problem is…they love each other Potter more than you. I'm not sure how this will affect things." Hermione saw McGonagall throw Moody an annoyed look.

"I'm sure it will not affect anything Alistair."

Hermione took a breath and looked around at everyone. Ron looked uncomfortable and Harry looked puzzled. Ginny was giving Harry a thoughtful look.

"But I don't love Ron more than Harry! I love them both! They're my best friends. That's what I don't understand! Does this spell differentiate between True Love and the love between friends?"

Everyone was silent as they thought about this. Moody looked like he wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible.

"But…you two had sex!" Ginny blurted out.

"Ginevera!" Ron exclaimed, looking like he wanted to send a flock of canaries to attack her. Hermione felt like running and finding the deepest hole or corner to bury herself in. Maybe Kreacher would share his home? She slowly looked around at everybody. Harry was clearly in the 'I did not hear anything' line of thought. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were along the same line. McGonagall was coughing lightly while Tonks pounded on her back, looking at Hermione sympathetically. Then, to her horror, Moody burst out laughing.

"What does everybody expect? They are married!"

"How did you know?" Ron asked Ginny angrily.

She looked around embarrassed. "You really should remember to put a silencing charm on your room."

Moody laughed louder. Hermione took a deep breath. "It was because of the emotional evening. It doesn't mean anything. Now, I think we all know love is important, it makes people more protected." She stood up. "Is that all? Ok. Good. I'm leaving." She threw Ron a look. "Don't follow me!" She managed to be completely out of the dining room before she broke into a run.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Another big thanks to Disabled-Cloud-Flyer for betaing this chapter, the pervious two, and the other chapters to come!

* * *

Ron watched Hermione run out of the room and turned to his family. His mother and father were giving Ginny stern looks and he could tell she was in for it. Ginny looked at him. 

"I'm so sorry Ron! I-"

He got up. "Save it Ginny. I-" He broke off and left the room. He didn't know where to go now. A part of him wanted to go and find Hermione and find out what was going on. 'You know what's going on! She doesn't love you! She does not think of this as a marriage, just an arrangement to get her away from her parents!' But then…what was a _real_ marriage like? His parents seemed to have a real marriage but he did not expect him and Hermione to be like them.

Ron bit his lip and didn't know whether to hit something or cry. Not that he would admit to either, even under the influence of Veritaserum!

Ron slowly headed up the steps to his bedroom wondering what he would say to her. Should he ask her just exactly where she stood on everything? The truth was he did not entirely want to know.

When he opened the door he was relieved to find that she was not there. He looked around and grew more and more upset as he looked at the combination of his and Hermione's things. He grabbed his trunk and began to throw things inside, not really caring what it was, just as long as it was his. A part of him was trying to say that he was overreacting, that Hermione had not meant what she had said. But if she hadn't meant it then why had she said it…and in front of his family and friends at that! He closed it and went down the hall to Harry's room. He would stay with him until he could ask how to end the not-marriage. 'Is that what you really want? To end it without trying to fix things?' A part of him asked. 'According to _her_ there is nothing to end. She made things perfectly clear! She doesn't love me as more than a friend. And I-I do.' He sighed and knocked on the door, then turned as Harry walked up behind him.

"What's this?" Harry asked.

"I'm your new roommate."

Harry sighed a long suffering sigh and looked at Ron. "No Ron."

Ron looked at him in shock. "What? Why?"

"Ron you are no longer a child. You're married and you can't run anymore. You're not moving in with me you're going to work things out with your wife."

Ron snorted. "Wife? HA!" He looked down. "You heard her Harry. It doesn't mean anything. I'm-I'm just her friend."

Harry sighed and opened his door. "Alright, just this one night. Then, you go talk to Hermione."

Ron nodded but didn't tell Harry he had no intention of ever talking to her again.

* * *

After leaving the dining room Hermione ran to the only place she could think of to hide. Buckbeak's old room. 

She entered the room and immediately burst into tears. She sat down on the old hay and pulled her knees to her chest.

How was she ever going to face anyone again? How was she ever going to face Ron again after what she had said? Hermione had never been so confused in her life.

She heard the door open and a floorboard creak. "I told you not to follow me!"

"No, you told Ron not to follow you. You said nothing to me."

Hermione didn't even speak as Tonks sat down next to her.

"You ok?" The older woman asked.

"No I'm not!" Hermione sniffed, no longer crying. "I think I made a big mistake."

"What?"

"I shouldn't have married Ron. I know it was convenient but…I don't even know what a marriage should be! I know my parents were happy but should it be like theirs? Like Ron's parents? What? I also don't know what Ron expects. Does he want a real marriage that has everything? Does he want it just to be a way to get me away from my parents? Does…does he love me. _Actually_ love me? Do I love him?" She sighed and placed her chin on her knees.

"I'm afraid there are no clear answers. I think you finally have a problem that cannot be fixed by going to the library!" Tonks paused. "As I have never been married I can't really help. What I do suggest is that you go downstairs and talk to your husband."

"I don't think he will talk to me after the way I acted."

"There is only one way to find out."

Hermione slowly walked to her bedroom. What was she supposed to say to him? She had never been good at talking to him and their conversations inevitably ended up in arguments. As she descended the steps and grew closer to the room her nervousness grew. What if this was it? They broke up and she had to go back to her parents. She finally made it to the bedroom door and stared at it. Taking a deep breath, she entered the room.

At first glance she noticed nothing was wrong. Everything was as neat as when they had finished unpacking. Then she looked over in the corner and saw that his trunk was missing. Feeling a sense of dread, she opened the dresser drawer and saw that all his clothing was gone. Further inspection showed that he had packed everything up and left her.

She sat back down on the bed and bit her lip. Now she had nobody. Her parents had basically disowned her and now her husband had left her. Sure, she had Harry and the rest of the Weasley's but could she really expect them to stay by her? Harry was Ron's best friend; the Weasley's were his family. She really was alone now.

She knew it was her fault. She never should have said that she loved Ron only as a friend and that that night had not meant anything. It was true that she had been, and still was, horribly embarrassed but that was no reason to lie; to hurt Ron's feelings. He didn't deserve that!

Hermione curled up into a ball on the bed. She knew that while they had had fights before, this was different. Before they had said things to each other, or cast Canaries at the other, and eventually gone back to normal. This was different. She knew that in less than one minute she had made a horrible mistake. She just wondered if she would ever be able to fix things.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was a quiet affair. It was quite obvious everybody was wrapped up in their own thoughts and problems to address others. Ginny took it upon herself to get to the real issue. 

"So…What's this love thing all about?" Everyone looked at her in surprise. She elaborated. "You said yesterday that love was the big issue here. Why?"

McGonagall spoke. "We're not entirely sure. Love has long been a mystery to even the most powerful of wizards. Because of this, though we have people working on researching, we may never know why it is an excellent protective device."

Everyone nodded and Ron glanced at Hermione. While he was still extremely hurt by her words, he wanted to work things out. Though it annoyed him to no end, he knew Harry was correct. It was time to act like the adult he had so pointed out to everybody he was.

He continued eating his breakfast, listening to the boring conversations while trying to figure out how to approach Hermione. He finally decided to just go up to her when she got up and left the room. He sighed and saw Harry staring at him pointedly. He got the hint and followed her.

He knew he was not far behind her but the distance seemed like miles. What was he supposed to say? He had never been good at talking to…well anybody about his feelings. It was time to change that now though. He sped up and raced up the stairs after her.

He caught up with her as she entered Buckbeak's room. He took a breath and followed.

"Hermione? Can we talk?"

She sat down on the floor and nodded silently. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

He nodded and sat down next to her. "Me too. I shouldn't have left. I was childish."

"But…we are children! Even though we are the age of adults we are not…not completely! I-I'm so confused."

"Me too Mione! I don't know how to be a husband! I don't know what you expect of me!"

She looked at him. "I expect nothing Ron! You have already done so much just by marrying me. I-I don't know what to do either! I don't know how to be a wife! I know books, spells. Not relationships!"

She grabbed a handful of straw and began to play with it.

"Then…I guess we're even." Ron said slowly. Hermione laughed.

"I guess we are. Can I ask you something?" He nodded. "Would…would you have married me if my parents hadn't acted the way they did?"

"I don't know." He answered truthfully. Hermione nodded and looked away. "Hey that doesn't mean no! It means I'm not sure. I was thinking about how I was going to help Harry, not marriage!"

"I know. I was just wondering. Do you think this was a mistake?"

"No. Well maybe…but-" He muttered the rest, his ears bright red.

"What?"

"I said…I'm glad you're my wife though. I can't imagine marrying anybody else."

Hermione smiled shyly, reached out and took Ron's hand.

They talked the rest of the day and before they knew it Harry was informing them it was dinnertime. They went downstairs and found everybody else already seated. Mr. Weasley had been able to get off of work early and pointed to Pig who landed on Hermione's shoulder. He was hooting loudly and holding out his leg. Hermione took the letter and glanced at Ron. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she examined the letter. The next thing he knew she burst into tears. Ron took the letter and saw in her neat handwriting her parent's names on the front. The letter was unopened.

Ignoring the curious looks of the others he put his arms around her and caressed her hair, letting her cry. She sniffed and clutched the front of his shirt.

"Why? Why are they doing this?"

"I don't know. But things will be ok" He told her, feeling more anger than he had ever felt. How could her parents act this way? Hermione was their daughter! Parents are supposed to love their children no matter what! He would never act that way. When he and Hermione had kids he vowed to love them even if they became Death Eaters!

'Wait a minute! Children with Hermione? Where did that come from!" His mind thought as he felt a slight sense of panic. He pushed that line of thought away as Hermione sniffed and sat down at the table. He briefly glanced at his father then Harry, both looked at him in a way that he knew he had handled things well. He spent the rest of the meal wondering how he could help fix thing with Hermione and her parents.


	13. Chapter 13

Ginny walked into the kitchen where her mother was cleaning up after dinner. She wanted to speak to her but she didn't know how. Or rather, did not know how she would react.

"Mum? Can I speak to you?"

Mrs. Weasley looked up from cleaning some pots and smiled. "Of course Ginny dear." She turned to the pot. "_Scourgify_!"

Ginny took some plates and started to put them away. "You and Dad fell in love when you were still in school, right?"

"I wouldn't say love then. That came later."

"But you did marry right after you left, right?"

"Yes. Like you brother. Why?"

"Just wondering. Was there love when you got married?"

"Of course!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

Ginny wondered how to phrase the next question. "What about when you got pregnant? Do you think you loved each other more then?"

Mrs. Weasley turned to her daughter. "What? Well I think maybe there was a bit more love then. We were starting a family! Why do you want to know?" She looked at her daughter suspiciously. Ginny held her breath. Mrs. Weasley broke into a smile. "I see. You worry about your brother. Well I think he and Hermione know that starting a family right now is too much at the moment. Plus, they are going to help Harry so it just would not work."

Ginny smiled, relived. "Right. I am a bit worried about them. Hermione is really smart so I think your right." She turned back to the plates and sighed.

Suddenly there was a loud crack and next to her were he brothers Fred and George.. She almost screamed.

"How…? Where did you come from?"

Fred grinned and looked at his twin. "Is that anyway to treat you dear brothers who come bearing gifts?"

"I repeat. How did you get here and why?" She demanded, but smiling as Fred waved a box in her face. She grabbed at it.

"We just Apparated from the living room." George answered.

"We came for the wedding." Fred told them.

Mrs. Weasley had been watching all of this with mild amusement and even more annoyance.

"What wedding?" She asked.

"Bill and Fleur's. They told us it's tomorrow." Fred said with a smirk. Ginny knew they now knew that their mother was surprised. "They probably told us, so that you would not say no, what with us coming all this way of course."

"Tomo-" Her face grew red and she went to the door. "BILL! FLEUR! GET IN HERE NOW!" Her voice set off Mrs. Black's portrait which immediately started yelling insults. Mrs. Weasley cursed. "BILL! FLEUR! NOW! AND SOMEBODY CLOSE THE CURTAINS ON THAT BLOODY PAINTING!" She turned and surveyed her sons.

"So…anybody for a game of Gobstones?" Fred asked cheerfully.

"Of course dear brother. You know how I enjoy beating you." George grinned, following him out of the room. Ginny glared after them, knowing they just wanted to get out of the line of fire.

Mrs. Weasley's bellow brought Mr. Weasley into the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"It appears that Bill has decided to get married. Tomorrow."

Mr. Weasley sighed. "I had thought finding you at the Burrow was suspicious…" He said to the twins. They grinned.

Ginny knew her family well enough to know when was the right time to stay and watch the fireworks, and when to get out of the line of fire so she placed the plates in the shelf and quietly left the kitchen. She passed Bill and Fleur on the stairs.

"I think Mum is not happy about your plans tomorrow…" She grinned at them on her way to her room. 'Mum was definitely not happy. I wonder if she will stop speaking to them like she did to Ron and Hermione.'

At dinner Ginny was proved wrong. She guessed it was because the circumstances were slightly different with Bill and Fleur. That night her mother had not stopped speaking to the couple, but rather addressed everything having to do with the wedding, and how impractical it was. The young girl finally tuned it out and watched everyone.

She watched as Hermione added some stew to her plate then Ron's. He grinned and handed her some bread. 'Things are back to normal.' She thought with relief. Suddenly a box was waved in her face.

"Hand it over!" Ginny cried and grabbed at the package. She remembered that it was the gift the twins had brought her and waved in front of her before. Everybody around the table flinched at what it could be. To their relief she just pulled out a purple Pygmy Puff.

"Thank you!"

"Don't thank us. It's only because those things are breeding like crazy." George told her.

"We currently have around a hundred." Fred supplied. "Anybody else wants one just ask."

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat. "I guess this is happening no matter what so…It will be small." She warned. Ginny knew she was thinking of Fleur's lavish taste.

"We don't mind small Mum." Bill answered. "We know that having too many Wizards in one place for a big wedding is too dangerous, especially now that this family is an even bigger target."

"But…don't you want your family there Fleur?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Ginny knew that it was her last grasp at delaying the wedding.

"Yes. They are wanting to come but they know about the attack. They are afraid of drawing suspeecion to the family." She said carefully.

"Your English is becoming very good Fleur." Hermione commented.

"_Merci_…I mean thank you. I am working hard on et. I know et is not perfect though." She smiled. "I do know ma _Mere_ is sending me her wedding robes. She has wanted me to wear them, even if it is a small ceremony and she cannot be here."

"Well…since there won't be many guests I think it might work. What does everybody else think?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I think it is a wonderful idea. We need all the happiness we can get." Mr. Weasley replied.

"Ok. Then I suggest everyone turn in early tonight. We have a lot to do."

The next day the girls were assigned to helping Fleur get ready for the ceremony.

Hermione watched as Fleur pulled the wedding robes out of the box and hold them up.

"Wow." Hermione breathed as she took in the antique lace, the pearls, and the satin. A part of her was very envious that she got such gorgeous robes for her wedding. "They are gorgeous!"

"They 'av been in my family for generations." Fleur replied, caressing the robes. "I 'av been wanting to wear them since I was leetle." Hermione smiled as Fleur reverted back to her heavy accent in the excitement.

"Are you going to pass them on to your daughter someday?" Ginny asked, looking through a book for the perfect hairstyle for Fleur's hair.

"Of course! It is tradition!"

Suddenly there was a loud crash and Mrs. Weasley yelling.

"I TOLD YOU NO FIREWORKS! NOW GET THESE THINGS OUT OF HERE AND MAKE YOURSELVES USEFUL!"

Hermione looked out the door just in time to see a Green and Gold dragon fly by, followed by a grinning Fred. He waved and disappeared up the staircase.

She turned around to see Ginny laughing.

"I've missed them."

Hermione picked up the book. "I'd go with this one." She pointed to a page showing very intricate curls. "It would look nice with your long hair. And we can add tiny flowers."

They agreed and set out getting the bride ready.

The ceremony began a few hours later. There was a collective gasp as Fleur walked down the isle. She made a very beautiful bride. Hermione looked at Bill and could plainly see he was in love with her. She grinned as she reached him and took his arm.

Several members of the Order, Lupin, Moody, and McGonagall were attending and had brought what festive items they could. There were some flowers placed around, and music had been supplied.

Hermione was just wondering if she really did spot tears in McGonagall's eyes when Tonks burst through the front door. She looked at everybody and blushed. "Sorry to interrupt but Arthur you are needed at the Ministry NOW!"

"What's going on Tonks?" Mrs. Weasley asked, worried.

Tonks glanced around the room, her gaze resting on Ron and Hermione for a second, then focused on Mr. Weasley. "I'm not sure but it is important."

Mr. Weasley looked at the couple standing in front of him. "I'm sorry but-"

Bill nodded. "We understand, right Fleur?" He asked his fiancée. She looked very upset but bit her lip and nodded.

Mr. Weasley hugged his wife and after one more apology, left with Tonks.

Everyone sat in their seats wondering what to do next when Fred spoke up. "Who's up for a game of Quidditch?"

Mrs. Weasley glared at him. "You know you can't play that here! It's supposed to be secret! We're not supposed to send out Owls, much less play Quidditch!"

Hermione caught Bill looking guilty and knew an Owl was exactly how he had contacted the twins.

The twins looked at each other slyly and nodded. "Yes Mum. Ron?"

Ron glanced at Hermione, who had a distinct look of disapproval at whatever the twins were planning, and then ran off after his brothers.

Mrs. Weasley sighed then jumped as a Rocket flew past her, leaving a long trail of silver stars.

They decided to just have a small party, as everybody was dressed up anyway. Music was playing and Hermione sat watching Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the Order members talking quietly amongst themselves. They had been having the discussion since Mr. Weasley had left, pausing only when a loud thump had been heard from upstairs. Mrs. Weasley had frowned but not said anything.

Harry and Ginny had disappeared with the Weasley boys, and Bill was trying to comfort a very upset Fleur, so it was just Hermione seated on the sofa. Crookshanks had curled up on her lap and was purring softly.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, sitting down next to Hermione on a sofa.

"I'm not sure but I bet it has something to do with your Father's leaving." She looked at him and saw a small cut on his face. "What happened?"

"We tried to play Quidditch inside, you know, because of the tall ceilings? Well…it did not work out."

Hermione grinned and kissed his cheek. She desperately wanted to say something along the lines of that it was obvious it would not work, but didn't.

Ron grinned at her. "Go ahead and say it. I know you want to."

"Say what?"

"That it was obvious that playing Quidditch in the house was a stupid idea."

Hermione glared at him. "I…don't want to say that."

Ron leaned in and gently kissed her. "You are Hermione Granger so I know you want to say it."

Hermione looked at him, surprised and a little embarrassed, then smiled. "No I won't say it. Besides, my name is Hermione Granger-Weasley." By the look on Ron's face she could tell Ron was shocked by her statement. "You don't mind do you?"

Ron grinned. "Not at all."

Hermione looked away shyly and watched as McGonagall bit into a sweet and turned into a Canary. Hermione suppressed a giggle as she returned to normal and tried to retain her normal, unruffled demeanor.

"FRED! GEORGE!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, setting of Mrs. Black's portrait once again.

Much later the party was dying down and everybody was getting ready to turn in when Mr. Weasley arrived, looking grim.

"What is it Arthur?" His wife asked.

He licked his lips and opened his mouth. No sound came. He closed it and tried again.

"I need to take Ron and Hermione to the Ministry for questioning."

There was a collective gasp and Ron stood up.

"Why? What'd we do?"

"They…they think that…you are associated with the Death Eaters."


	14. Chapter 14

Ron had never in his life heard his family as silent as they were after his father's announcement. He himself could barely find the words to respond.

"What? How…how could they think that?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"It is just their way of trying to get me out the Ministry. They know I am still a supporter of Dumbledore and the new Minister fears the influence he has on me. They can't get to me directly so if they suspect that I am connected to Death Eaters in any way, they can throw me out of the Ministry." Mr. Weasley explained.

"That is just preposterous though. They are children. The best friends of…of The Chosen One." Mrs. Weasley stuttered. Ron saw Harry flinch at the title.

"Exactly Molly."

"Albus was well aware that things like this might happen." McGonagall said quietly.

"Is this really necessary?" Lupin asked.

"If I do not bring them in tonight they will show up at the Burrow to escort them. We all know that is a bad idea."

Mrs. Weasley nodded sadly. "Alright." She turned to Ron and Hermione. "You'd better go change. Quickly."

Ron and Hermione, still stunned, ran up the stairs to their bedroom. Ron was so angry he wanted to throw something. He grabbed a pillow off the bed and threw it across the room. He then cursed and looked at Hermione. She was, in his opinion, way too calm about this situation. He watched as she completely ignored the pillow, and pulled out a shirt and skirt out of their dresser. He recognized them as what she called her nicest outfit. "How can you be so calm?"

Hermione turned her back to him and began to unzip her robes. He could feel the sudden heat in his face and he knew he was blushing. He quickly turned his back to her.

"It does no good to panic Ron."

He spun back around and looked at her in disbelief. She was the smartest person he knew. Could it be that she somehow did not fully grasp the situation? "Don't you realize that…that if they think we're Death Eaters we will be put into Azkaban!"

She turned to him, clutching her shirt against her chest so tightly that her knuckles were white. "Ron, that won't happen." She told him in that same calm tone.

"It might Mione. We no longer have Dumbledore to protect us" He cried in a desperate attempt at making her see the seriousness of the situation.

He saw her bite her lip and take a deep breath. He knew that he had upset her with that remark. It had only been less than a month since Dumbledore had been killed. He still expected to see him walk into the headquarters and give them some abstract advice that would end up saving everyone. Apparently Hermione thought the same.

A part of him wanted to put his arms around her and comfort her but she was acting stronger than he was. A sudden realization hit him. Somehow their roles had reversed. She was the one who helped him when he panicked or got upset. That wasn't how it was supposed to be anymore. They were no longer children in school. He was her husband now. He was supposed to support her, like his father supported his mother.

He didn't know how she would react if he tried to do that, so he went over to the dresser to get his clothes and change.

An hour later they were entering the ministry. Ron and Hermione carefully looked around the nearly deserted building. Everything from their battle a year ago had been repaired.

The broken fountain was whole; the trickling water being the only sound other than their footsteps. Suddenly someone came out of a fireplace on the right, causing all three to jump slightly. The man ignored them and went on his way.

After going through the security measures, where they had their wands taken away and had been scanned for Dark magical items, they were led to the Auror's offices. As they walked down the deserted hallway Mr. Weasley spoke encouraging words to them. Ron wasn't listening and only when his father said to them "It took a lot but I was able to talk them out of the Wizengamot. It will just be Kingsley Shacklebolt questioning you" did he began to listen.

Ron glanced at his father who gave him a small smile. Knowing that the person who would be questioning them was a member of the Order, made him feel better. Not much, but a little. They paused outside an empty cubicle with a name plate that read Kingsley Shacklebolt. Mr. Weasley took a deep breath. Ron could tell his father was upset but was trying to be strong for him and Hermione. Ron wished he could be more like him.

"Good luck." Mr. Weasley told them and left them there as he headed for his office. Ron was left feeling a slight sense of abandonment. He reached out to take Hermione's hand but found she was staring after his father, her arms crossed in front of her. Ron noticed that she was biting her lip again.

Once Mr. Weasley was out of sight a wizard came out of the cubicle across the hall. He barley glanced at them before leading them down a dark and deserted hallway. All Ron noticed about him was that he wore deep purple robes and had an unexpressive face. He used his wand and opened a random door. He shoved Hermione inside and waved his wand again. Ron's last image of Hermione was her looking back at him in terror. When Ron tried to follow he was held back and pushed down the hall. He kept asking why they couldn't be together but was never given an answer. In fact, the unnamed wizard said nothing to him at all.

Now it was hours or possibly days, that had passed since his father had left him. Ron had been shoved into a bare room, the only furniture being a simple table and two chairs, with no sign of Kingsley or anybody for that matter. He was getting really, really angry. Well, angrier.

He was first and foremost worried about Hermione. Was she being interrogated right now? Had they already finished and sent her to Azkaban? Had they used a potion on her? Or worse, had they hurt her?

He also feared for their future and the future of his family. There was a good chance that they could be sent to Azkaban. How would that affect his parents? They had already lost Percy. That had been his choice though. How would they, especially his mother, deal with him being sent to prison?

Ron had had enough. Jumping up from his chair he charged to the door and tried to open it. It was locked as he knew it would be. He pulled on the handle with all of his strength, pounded as hard as he could, yelled with every insult he could remember and some he made up on the spot. It was no use. The door stayed tightly sealed. Eventually he leaned against the wall, his arms aching and his hands throbbing from his vain efforts. He was completely frustrated.

How could this be happening to him? It was too much! How, in the course of a few weeks, had he gone from a relatively carefree child to a married man now accused of being a Death Eater? What kind of messed up world was this?

What did his family think of him? Did they think there was a possibility? Did Harry, because of their past disagreements, think it was possible? No, of course not. He was just being foolish, letting the stress get to him. Just because they had argued in the past, the worst being when Ron had been jealous in their fourth year, did not mean Harry would suspect him of turning to the enemy.

His mind turned back to Hermione and a fresh wave of rage sweep over him. He desperately wished that he at least knew if she was alright. This was the Ministry of Magic. They would not hurt her, would they?

Feeling completely helpless, he picked up his chair and flung it against the door in frustration. Maybe hoping that the impact would make it open. The chair didn't even leave a dent, nor did he have the satisfaction of smashing the chair to bits. He knew that this was childish, that his father would not act this way…but, if he and Hermione were going to be sent to Azkaban he was sure going to let everybody know how he felt about it.

He had no idea how much more time had passed when the door finally opened and in walked Kingsley. The tall, bald, black wizard studied him for a moment then went over to the table. He looked at Ron's chair and picked it up, gesturing for him to sit. Ron just glared at him. Kingsley shrugged and sat down.

"So Mr. Weasley. I assume you know why you are here." Kingsley asked in his quiet voice as he unrolled some parchment. He gave no indication that they knew each other.

"Where is Hermione?" Ron asked pushing away from the wall.

"She is fine. I have already questioned her. Now…this information tells me you are the best friend of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived."

"What about it?" Ron said stubbornly.

"And you recently married your other best friend Hermione Granger?"

"Yes. I did. Why?" He said as his anger once again grew.

"What does Harry think of this arrangement?"

"He's fine with it. Happy even. What is all of this about? Why do you think we're Death Eaters?" Ron nearly shouted.

Kingsley stared at him for a moment. "You were recently attacked by a pair of Death Eaters. They were after you, not Mr. Potter. This is strange and we need to know why they did it."

Ron sighed. "We have thought and thought about it. Nobody knows exactly why. I think it was just a way for You-Know-Who to test how strong Hermione and I are. I mean, we are Harry's best friends. We did recently find out that love makes Hermione and I stronger and Harry weaker or something like that though. I'm not sure of it all. Well maybe You-Know-Who found that out and wanted to see if Harry was weaker. I don't know." He paused. "Where is Hermione?"

"I told you she is fine."

"Well tell me more. Is she safe? Is she with my Dad?" He grew cold. "Has she already been convicted? Did you send her to Azkaban?" Ron walked up to Kingsley with his fists clenched, fighting the urge to hit or try and shake the man into giving him some answers. "Tell me!" He shouted in Kingsley's face.

Kingsley did not react to Ron's temper and got up. "You're free to go."

Ron felt furious. "That's it? You bring us down here in the middle of the night, make us think we are going to Azkaban, and have us sit in a room for Merlin knows how many hours and…nothing. We're free to go? _What was the point of all of this?_"

Kingsley stared at Ron for a moment then walked over to his side. He glared at Ron for not trusting him and spoke so quietly Ron had to strain to hear him.

"You don't honestly believe I was speaking to Hermione this whole time, do you? Now you need to calm down or you will get into real trouble."

Ron glared and dug his nails into his palms. After a moment he nodded.

He walked to the door and turned to Ron. "You are free to go. We will contact you if you are needed again."

Ron stared at him and walked out.

Kingsley led him to the room Hermione was in, opened the door and left them alone. The room was a mirror image of the room he had been kept in, consisting of a simple table and two chairs. Hermione had been seated in one of the chairs but looked up at the sound the door made when opened. She ran up to him and threw her arms around him. He placed his arms tightly around her, feeling her shaking.

"I was so scared!" She said into his shoulder.

He ran a hand over her hair in a soothing gesture. He didn't want to admit to her that he was too, didn't want to show any more weakness, so he just kissed the side of her head. Hermione pulled away so he let his arms drop. Her eyes widened and she grabbed a hand.

"What happened?" She exclaimed as she ran a finger over the bloody marks his nails had left.

"Nothing. What about you? Are you ok? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine." He believed her; the Ministry of Magic would never physically harm anyone, but he studied her anyway. Besides her obvious exhaustion she seemed to be alright.

His father walked in a few moments later. He gave them their wands and led them out of the Ministry. Ron took a deep breath and looked at the pre-dawn sky; grateful that he and Hermione would be seeing it the rest of their lives instead of the inside of an Azkaban cell.

The journey to Grimmauld was quiet. Hermione just kept yawning and eventually laid her head on his shoulder. He knew she was exhausted. Mr. Weasley was too busy keeping watch to try any conversation. He wondered why his father was so on guard, what with their traveling in Ministry of Magic cars. He thought it might be because he trusted the Ministry even less now. Ron agreed with that mistrust completely.

Ron's thoughts were on the strange night. Why had the Ministry gone to all the trouble of demanding that they come in if they were just going to leave them sitting for hours and then barely question them? Judging from what Kingsley had said, he had done something. Plus, his father had said he had talked them out of a full trial. Did any other Order members have anything to do with them not getting sent to Azkaban? Would this return to haunt them in the future?

Finally, he could no longer think properly so he pulled the arm he tightened the arm he had around Hermione and focused on getting home.

The entire family and several Order members greeted them when they opened the door. He had hoped most of them would have gone home or would be asleep. He was too tired to answer the questions he knew would be coming.

Mrs. Weasley immediately pulled Ron and Hermione into a smothering hug, sobbing into Ron's shoulder. He knew she needed it. She needed to feel that they were really there and safe so he tolerated it. Eventually she released them.

"What was it like?" Ginny asked. "Did they use magic on you?"

"What about Veritaserum? Did they make you confess anything embarrassing?" Fred asked.

Ron glared at his brothers but didn't say anything. How could they joke about it? He hid a yawn and pretended to listen to his family even though everything was just one mess of noise.

"Alright you two. I know you are enjoying your moments in the spotlight but you have been up all night. Bed." Mr. Weasley ordered.

Reluctantly everybody backed off and Ron felt relieved as they moved through the crowd on his way upstairs. He made sure to throw his father a grateful smile.

Once in their room, Ron watched as Hermione sat down on the bed wearily. She let out a huge yawn and began to take off her shoes.

"How long did they question you?" He asked her, removing his jacket and going to set it on the bedpost. He saw that his hands were shaking and busied them by folding the jacket. He didn't want Hermione to see and worry.

She sighed. "Not long. I mainly sat there forever."

"Me too. I still don't understand why they-" He broke off when he turned and realized Hermione was too tired to listen. She had climbed into bed and looked to be already asleep.

Ron sighed and removed his own shoes. He carefully climbed into bed, trying not to disturb Hermione. Feeling the weight of everything finally hit he placed a protective arm around Hermione and fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: A **_huge _**thanks to Disabled-Cloud-Flyer who co-wrote and betaed this chapter with me!

* * *

Kingsly showed up at Grimmald Place about a week after he had interrogated them. The family gathered around him in the living room to hear his news. Hermione had to literally stop Ron from insulting the man. It wasn't Kingsley's fault that they had been taken to the Ministry building. Ron didn't care though. Hermione had to grab his arm and hold him in his seat in order to get him to stay in the same room as the man. His glare was evident to the entire room. Kingsly showed no hint that he even expected to be treated differently.

"I know you are all very upset by what happened." Ron snorted at this but Kingsly ignored him. Hermione was embarrassed for them both. She threw him a look that clearly told Ron to grow up, but she didn't think that he noticed.

"When I heard that the Ministry brought you in for questioning" Kingsly continued in a bored tone of voice, "I knew that I had to think fast. That was why it took so long to get to the interrogation process. I had to plant evidence of another Death Eater."

"But," Mrs. Weasley interrupted, "You framed someone? Who?"

"No I didn't. I created a new Death Eater and pressed the Ministry to follow him. I also had a pile of evidence in your defense. I gave them paperwork about Ron and Hermione that showed them active in fighting against the Death Eaters at the Ministry a year ago."

At this Hermione perked up. This member of the Order cared enough about their innocence that he had committed a crime to help them. Her admiration for the man built.

"What happens if they realize what you told them was not true?" she had to ask. She didn't want him to get in to trouble because of them.

"Then I will lose my job and have a trial facing those charges. I don't think that will happen though. I led the investigation to track down Sirius Black. I think that before the Ministry battle, he was thought to be in the Sahara." Kingsly smirked a bit at this. Ron had to smile. He didn't want to because of his pride. But, he couldn't help it. Why he didn't remember that, he didn't know. He glanced over at Hermione and saw she was smiling too. Still, he wasn't completely satisfied with Kingsley's answer.

"So we should just accept that you left us in those rooms for five hours. I thought we were going to Azkaban!" Now he realized why he shouldn't forgive him quite yet. "You could have at least told us or slipped in a little hint that everything was fine. The thought of going to Azkaban nearly made me go mad. To think that they were going to put Hermione there..." Ron shook his head. He didn't want to picture her in a cell. "Why her?" he continued. "They should have taken me not her."

Hermione was shocked. She had wanted him to not be childish but was that why he was? He was still worried about her? She had wanted a man hadn't she? Pride swelled within her.

"I'm not apologizing. I'm just explaining things." Kingsly said. "Do you ever do anything besides yell? Living in a constant state of anger must prove tiring after a while."

The whole of the Weasley family laughed. Ron blushed to the tips of his ears. He slouched down in his chair and grabbed Hermione's hand to hold in his lap. Hermione loved this caring Ron even more then the Ron she knew before. He shocked her to her toes and made her feel things she shouldn't, but he held her hand. Now she blushed at the rest of the gawking Weasleys.

Hermione rolled her eyes to try to hide her reaction and turned to Kingsley. "Thank you for taking the time to come and explain. We both" she emphasized with a sideways glance at Ron. "appreciate it. I do feel better knowing that waiting in that room is all we had to do. Can we expect any more trouble from the Ministry?"

Kingsley shook his head. "I can't say for sure but probably not. I can keep them distracted long enough to make them forget about you."

"What about Dad?" Ron asked quietly. He was obviously still smarting after Kingsley's comments. "Will he be fired?"

"No." Kingsley said firmly. "He will not." Kingsly spared a glance at a relieved Mr. Weasley. Ron realized then, that that conformation was really telling his father that even if this was exposed, he and his family would not be involved.

Ron nodded at the man, but didn't speak. Kingsley studied him and Hermione for a moment before he said his goodbyes and left.

"I'm not angry all the time am I?" Ron asked. Hermione just rolled her eyes for real this time, and left the living room.

The moment followed Hermione until this very morning. Now, as she lay in bed, Hermione was still thinking about it. Kingsly was a very brave man. What he was doing for her and Ron's future was something that she would probably never be able to repay. Besides that though, Kingsley's words must have made Ron want to change. His new quietness annoyed her, but she still was thankful for it. He was sweet and caring and his efforts to be that way had helped their marriage. Even his family had asked her what she put in his drink. It certainly made him more pleasant to be around.

A few days after the Kingsley visit they had had another visit from a much more welcome person. Professor McGonagall had been invited to dinner one evening and she had told them that the school would reopen in the fall. Hermione was thrilled about this. But she had promised Harry that she would help him. That was the very reason she had married in the first place. But the thought of the school opening lightened her spirits. They were effectively doused however, when it hit her that she would be missing her last year of school and would never have another one. It made her ach inside. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to finish school. The new Headmistress might offer special conditions for her, but she doubted it.

Hermione shifted in bed and sighed. As if he sensed her movement and didn't want to lose her body heat, Ron threw his arm over her stomach to hold her still. She smiled a little at this and her thoughts turned to Bill and Fleur.

They had delayed their wedding until a future unknown date. Fleur had told the family that she did not want to marry without her parents there beside her. "I know that I would end up forever regretting et." She told Hermione one day when cornered. "I 'ave always dreamed of 'aving ma mere et mon pere there. Ma soeur also 'as to be there. I do not want to give that up."

Hermione knew that was a lie. She was perfectly willing to marry before the interrogation. She didn't know why they were delaying but it was their business. She had given up on trying to convince them to change their plans.

Shifting Ron's arm off of her, Hermione slowly sat up. The sun was now streaming brightly in through the window and she knew that if she slept the day away she would miss seeing Harry off to the Dursley's.

Nobody, including Harry, wanted him to go. But it was for the best. Harry needed the special protection that his only blood relatives offered him. It was not that they loved him, or that he loved them, but because they were his blood relatives and guardians, there was a charm that they all shared. This charm lasted until he became of age. He would be safer under their roof with them. Hermione also suspected that Harry secretly wanted to see his only relatives one last time before he was of age. She knew that they wouldn't welcome him once they were no longer responsible for him.

Hermione swung her legs over the edge of the bed and felt instant sickness. She felt vile. Her stomach heaved and she felt like she might need to throw up today also. The trip to the Ministry must have made her catch the flu because ever since Kingsley's visit, she had the most unusual icky feelings. She felt certain that she wouldn't make it to the bathroom. Slowly standing, she reached over to the other side of the table next to her bed, and grabbed for the trash bin she kept next to her writing desk. She couldn't make the movement fast enough for her raging stomach though. She fell back onto the bed with a groan.

Hermione vaguely felt Ron kneel next to her and place a hand on her shoulder. She supposed that it was meant to comfort her. Instead it made her extremely embarrassed.

"Mione what…" He trailed off, still half asleep but worried.

"Ron get the bin. Get the bin now." She demanded.

Ron jumped off the bed making her roll with the loss of his body. Her stomach rolled with her. Ron came to her side in an instant with the trash bin. Hermione groped for it like a woman starved. She was far from it however. She didn't think she could eat if he forced her.

She bent over the bin and emptied the contents of her stomach. When she was through she grimaced. She didn't want to see the look on Ron's face. She was sure it would make her want to run from him in shame, but she didn't think she could manage that either. She reached over to the side table and grabbed her wand.

"_Scourgify_!" She muttered then decided to glance at Ron. "I'm sorry that was what you saw first thing in the morning. I think I caught the flu."

This was partially true. Most of the time she felt alright but sometimes she would get dizzy, nauseous, or tired. It would always pass though and she would be back to feeling normal a few minutes after. It was all very confusing to her.

Ron put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's alright. Why don't you stay and sleep in. I'm sure Harry will understand."

She shook her head and tried to decide if she was ready to stand. After a moment, she did stand and made her way to the dresser. "No." she said. "I want to see Harry off. I'll be fine. I've been sick before and will probably be well in a few days."

This was true when she did get sick, but it was rare that she was ever sick. So why was she so sick this time? It had been a few weeks. The times she was sick when she was younger, only lasted about a day. She was starting to wonder if she needed to see a healer but she didn't want to alarm Ron. He had been up and out of bed already by the time she woke each morning and Hermione guessed that he had been thinking about life and their marriage. She was never able to find him until noon time when Mrs. Weasley was serving lunch. And he never told her what he was doing or where he was, but when she woke those mornings, she had a tray of food next to her and a rose from the Weasley's garden.

Hermione pulled a dress out of the dresser for herself and passed Ron a shirt and pair of trousers. Unfortunately, she had hunched over to reach the bottom drawer and this didn't sit well with her stomach. She felt another wave of nausea had to order Ron to bring her the bin again.

After another nauseating experience, they continued to change in silence. Ron kept throwing her worried glances though. When she was done changing, Hermione tried to leave the room as the same person she was when she had married. She put on her best self assured face, but only made it to the doorway before her surroundings began to spin. She had to clutch the doorframe until her vision cleared. Ron was right by her side. Her jarring movement must have really alarmed him.

"Mione I really think that you should stay here and rest." He said. It was more like a command though.

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She had felt sick since she rose and now she was at the end of her patience. "I'm fine Ronald. It's just the flu so stop acting like…like your mother!" His ears grew red but he didn't look like he was going to back down. He must have decided to though because in a sarcastic tone he muttered, "I'm sorry I was worried. It's obvious you are fine." and pushed past her.

Hermione sighed and leaned against the doorframe in even more embarrassment. She should not have been so cruel to him. He was just trying to be a good husband. She bit her lip and followed him down the stairs.

Standing in front of the fire place, Hermione saw Harry being smothered in Mrs. Weasley's strong embrace. She paused on the bottom of the stairs and smiled in their direction. Poor Harry was probably out of breath. He was holding in his hand a basket too. Hermione realized it was probably a basket full of enough food to last the entire Weasley family about four dinners. Ron went to help Harry by placing his hand on his mother's shoulder and telling her that Harry would faint if she didn't let go. This brought laughter from Bill who was standing with his arm around Fleur's waist on the far side of the spacious room. Bill and Fleur were still at Grimmauld Place because Bill was a member of the Order and they couldn't afford to be seen traveling back and forth between a supposedly unknown place, and his house, and still stay undetected. So, for the remainder of the Horcrux hunt, he and Fleur had chosen to stay here.

At Ron's comment, Mrs. Weasley immediately released Harry and Harry glared at him. "I do not faint Ron." he said, but then he patted him hard on the back in a way of relieved thanks.

Hermione stood where she was, watching the exchange with interest. Mrs. Weasley wiped her nose with a handkerchief. "Do you have all the food I made for you?" she asked.

Harry groaned. Yes he had it. He had six pies, two chickens, three cobs of corn and five Tupperware bowels filled with eight different kinds of cookies and a pan of birthday cake. Plus there was what Ron had given him the night before, 28 chocolate frogs from his stash. He truly thought that he would not starve the entire two weeks he would be there.

"Yes Mrs. Weasley. Thank you." He replied. It was well known fact that the Dursleys frequently 'forgot' to feed him. Dudley would be ecstatic if Harry ever told him how much food Mrs. Weasley fed him. At least with all these frogs he would have a better chance of getting Morgana, the wizard card he still needed for his collection of chocolate frog cards.

Harry knew the moment was coming. He really did not want to face Ginny after the fight they had had that morning, but he knew that he had to be man enough to at least say goodbye to his exasperating, muddle-brained girlfriend. He still loved her after all.

Ginny was standing next to a now very pale Hermione. They were discussing what Mrs. Weasley should cook for dinner that evening. He walked over to them but Ginny turned her back to him. "Ginny I'm sorry you feel that way but now is not the time to get all mad about it." She didn't answer him. "Fine. We will talk about it when I get back."

Ginny still said nothing but he could tell she was about to cry. He tried to hug her from behind but she pushed out of his slacking embrace and rushed up the stairs.

"Please talk to her and make her understand." He asked Hermione. She nodded.

Hermione had no idea what was going on between the two of them. She had seen how upset Ginny was when Harry was talking to Mrs. Weasley. Ginny would say nothing to her though. In fact, she insisted that they talk about more pleasant things. Like the weather, the house cleaning that still needed to be done that day, and the meals that she wanted to help her mother prepare. Once she gave Harry her nod, he hugged her tight which made her a little dizzy, and moved on to say goodbye to Ron.

She waited until Harry and his escort of Professor Lupin left the house, before she went to find Ginny. Ginny wasn't in her room, nor did Hermione see her come back down the stairs. So, she set out to search every room upstairs. The first four rooms she looked in held nothing but dusty bookshelves, old beds, and even a desk set to the side of each. Ginny wouldn't have gone in those rooms anyway, Hermione scolded herself. They were too dirty. That was why, when she finally found her, Hermione was surprised. She was in Buckbeak's old room.

Ginny stood next to a large pile of hey. She was staring out the window at something in the distance. Hermione wondered how she was able to see anything through the thick layer of dust that covered it. That was when she realized that Ginny was not actually staring out the window. The far away gaze came from her many thoughts.

"Ginny? What's wrong?" She asked, slowly walking up to her friend.

Ginny didn't even turn around. "Harry and I had a fight." she whispered into the glass. Her reflection still showed that she was thinking about it. Perhaps remembering.

"Oh? What was it about?"

Ginny just shook her head and traced an abstract shape on the window. She then turned and sank onto the floor, a pile of dust and dirt floated around her as she did so. Hermione was concerned. Ginny was usually so strong and levelheaded. It must have been a very serious fight to affect her like this.

"I thought it would keep him safe." Ginny started.

Hermione knew this would take a while so she sat down next to her. "What would?"

Ginny shook her head again. "You remember all that stuff about love? How it keeps people safe? Well…I thought that if Harry loved me he would be safe."

Hermione was confused. She knew that Ginny was trying to tell her something big without actually coming out and saying it, but she just couldn't understand. "Ginny, Harry does love you. That's why he broke up with you in the first place, right? He loves you enough to try and keep you safe."

Ginny nodded. She felt a tear run down her cheek and brushed it away before she took a deep, shaky breath. "I know that." she said in exasperation. "But I thought that if he loved me like you and Ron love each other he would be safer." What was it that Hermione didn't understand? She was the smartest witch of her age. She was even smart enough to marry in order to stay in her world and not the Muggle world. Ginny did admit that Ron was an odd choice, but they seemed to be making out alright. What was so hard about what she was trying to tell her?

"Oh Ginny you are not ready for marriage yet." Hermione said once again not understanding. "I'm not even sure I'm ready for marriage. Wait until you're older and Harry has defeated Voldemort."

Ginny flinched and nodded again. "I figured that out. So I came up with a different plan."

Hermione didn't want to pry even further into their personal life, but Harry had asked her to help him so she just nodded. "What was your plan Ginny?" She asked gently.

She watched Ginny take a deep, shaky breath and continue. "I thought…that if Harry and I had a baby then there would be enough love to keep him safe."

If there was anything Hermione would have guessed it would not have been that. Ginny's statement left her completely stunned. Ginny wanted to have a baby? She really hoped Harry had not agreed to this.

"You what? Ginny that's not-"

"It is a good idea." Ginny cut her off. "That is what will keep Harry safe. I told him that too." She paused and took another deep breath.

"Harry…Harry said no."

Thank Merlin one of them had sense Hermione thought. Ginny seemed to be more emotional lately. It was almost like she was two different people. She would sulk one minute and then turn around and want to do something amusing. Poor Harry boar the brunt of her moodiness too. He couldn't walk into a room without her sticking her nose up at him. Hermione had surmised that this discussion must have been going on for at least a week.

"He said that we are way too young to even think about that." Ginny continued. "He said we shouldn't even be thinking about any of it, just protection. I am sick of worrying about protection all the time. All the potions, spells. They are starting to get on my nerves."

"But Ginny!" Hermione was shocked. No protection? Was she losing her mind? "You and Harry need to use protection."

"Don't worry about that right now Hermione. Listen to me." she ordered looking upset.

"Fine." Hermione complied. This would not be the last talk they had about protection though. She would see to it. But for now she just nodded to Ginny.

"He said that while he does love me, he has enough to worry about and didn't want to add a pregnant girlfriend to the list." Ginny continued. "He doesn't understand." She then started to cry as she spoke but Hermione could still understand her. "He said that he loved me-" She said again. "but that he doesn't want a baby. It will help him! If the stupid dolt would just think about it," she cried out. "he would know why it isn't a bad idea." Ginny paused on a sob but continued. "He said that if I had his child then…then You-Know-Who would be sure to use me as bait to get to him." She finished. Her tears grew heavier at each passing moment.

"He was completely right." Hermione muttered, wondering just what had gotten into Ginny.

"He said I was being foolish when I protested his side of things." she sobbed. "I tried to make him understand but he just said the final answer was no and he left me there." She exclaimed through her tears. "I just want him to be safe!"

Hermione didn't even know where to begin. This was so strange and sudden. She had never really dealt with people's problems before. Give her a complicated potion and she could recite everything from what part of the world the ingredients were from, to how long it took to brew it. But give her something like this, and she was stumped. "I have to agree with Harry." She held up her hands to ward off any argument. "Just hear me out. I agree because he is right. You are way too young to have a baby! You're not even sixteen yet. Do you want to be a single mother? That is basically what you would be. We have no idea how long the Horcrux hunt will take. Then he has to battle Voldemort. What if he gets killed? Do you want to raise a child alone? There is also the pregnancy itself. I have read about it and it is really not fun."

Ginny nodded but continued to sob. "I know. I just-" The rest of her words were muffled by her sobs and her hands. Hermione tried to listen but she couldn't really understand anything. Her mind went over everything she had just been told. Ginny was way too emotionally involved.

She put her arms around the sobbing girl and held her as she cried. Ginny was truly upset. Harry had been very inconsiderate though. He shouldn't have been that rude to her when he told her he didn't want her pregnant. Sure, he had a point. So much was going on right now a baby would just complicate things. Still, Ginny shouldn't be this upset. They hadn't broken up and Ginny wasn't actually pregnant. Hermione felt a sense of dread. Her stomach dropped. Was Ginny pregnant?

Oh no. What if it was true? What if Ginny was pregnant? What were they going to do? Ginny must be upset because Harry told her he didn't want a baby. But if she was already pregnant and he said that..."Ginny is…is it true?" She asked the sobbing, frightened girl.

"I don't know." her voice cracked. "I think he still wants to be with me though. Right? We didn't officially break up or anything." She sniffed and lowered her head. "I just couldn't tell him the truth knowing how scared he would be for me. He might think I would do something he would call stupid. Like follow him into battle."

Hermione was stunned. Ginny really was pregnant but wouldn't tell Harry because she thought he would reject her and the baby. That's why she had thought up this rubbish about it being a plan to protect him with love. She had to help them get back together.

"It'll be alright Gin." she consoled. "I don't think he is mad at you; just worried. Send him an owl and tell him everything." She advised. Even if Ginny didn't send an owl, Hermione definitely would. Harry was in for the surprise of his life when he found out his girlfriend was pregnant and thought he didn't want the baby.

"Alright. I'll think about it." Ginny whispered. "Thank you Mione."

Hermione stood and brushed off her dress of dust and hey. She then helped Ginny do the same. "It's alright. I'm glad I could help."

It only took about twenty minutes for Ginny to compose herself. Only when her eyes were no longer red-rimmed and her cheeks had their normal pink flush, did she agree to leave the room.

By the time the two girls headed down to the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley was busy at the stove preparing something for dinner. Hermione didn't look at it because the smell was upsetting her stomach again.

She didn't want to be rude though so she just sat down next to Ron. "I'm sorry." She whispered so that only he could hear. She gave him a kiss on the cheek as another peace offering and watched as his ears turned red in embarrassment.

They might have gotten over their shyness with each other in private but he still hesitated to show affection around anybody else. "It's alright. I'm always grumpy when I'm sick." Ron confessed.

Mrs. Weasley set the food on the table and joined her family. Hermione eyed the Steak and Kidney pie with hesitation but took a small portion of it. She placed a small bite into her mouth and forced herself to chew. Her stomach lurched at the taste of the meal she usually enjoyed. She forced herself to swallow and concentrated on keeping it down.

"Are you alright Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Do you not like it?"

Hermione looked up to see everyone staring at her. Ron was staring at her like she was going to die at any moment, while Mrs. Weasley looked offended at the possibility that she might not like the food.

"It's delicious" she assured the worried-looking woman. "but I'm going to go lay down for a little while. I think I caught the flu." She explained.

Mrs. Weasley looked even more upset that she was sick, but Hermione saw Ron stop her from doing anything about it by giving her a look that likened to one of Mr. Weasley's.

"I'll be fine." she assured her.

She stood and left the table for her room. When she got there however, she didn't feel sick all that much anymore. She still had to sit down on the bed to take a few breaths to settle her churning stomach. But, once she had left the kitchen she had felt better. Her flu was really starting to bother her. She needed some crackers and soup. After a few moments she lay down, exhaustion overwhelming her.

When Hermione next awoke, the light in the room was a lot dimmer. She looked around groggily and saw that blanket was now covering her and a glass of water now sat on the night table. Ron had done those things. He had covered her so she wouldn't be cold, and he had set that glass there. She knew it was him because he never used a coaster and it bothered her to no end. He always forgot that the bedside tables were made of wood. Or maybe he forgot that placing glasses on wood was not good for it. Whatever it was, she knew that it was him being considerate of her wants and needs. What did she ever do to deserve him? She ran her hand over the blanket and smiled at the simple gesture.

Judging by the amount of light that was now shining through the window, she had slept the whole rest of the day away. She wanted to go downstairs and see how Ginny was but first, she needed to get the letter out of the way.

She rummaged through her trunk and grabbed a roll of parchment and a quill. She then sat at her writing desk and began:

_Dear Harry._

_I know it is less than a day since you left, but, I thought you would like to know how things went with Ginny._

_I spoke to her and she told me everything. I'll admit I see your side of things. A baby right now would be a foolish idea. However it is a bit late now. Ginny is pregnant with your baby. She is afraid to tell you because she fears you will reject the baby. I hope that she is not right._

_I know this is scary but it is true. You need to talk to her Harry. She is scared for a multitude of reasons, the main being your rejection._

_I know you want to keep her safe but she needs you more than ever._

_Hermione_

Hermione carefully folded and addressed the letter. She went over to Pig's cage and took the owl out. He hooted softly in thanks of his freedom but she was so used to it now she barely heard it. She attached the letter to his leg and went over to the window. They were not supposed to send out owls but this was very important. She let Pig fly out into the dusk, content in the knowledge that she had just done something right.


	16. Chapter 16

Harry finished his last bite of roasted chicken and felt his stomach growl. He was now used to Mrs. Weasley's cooking so this meager portion was nowhere near enough. He fondly thought about the pile of food hidden in his bedroom.

He was about to get up and leave the table, knowing the Dursleys would not object, when a tiny owl flew in through the open kitchen window. Harry immediately recognized it as Pig.

"No bloody owls." Uncle Vernon yelled. Seeing Aunt Petunia reaching for a broom, Harry quickly snatched up Ron's pet.

"I'm leaving for good next week. This is probably the last owl that will ever come here." Harry told them and marched up to his room.

As he walked, he wondered why someone would be sending a letter. Harry had just seen them the pervious day so there should be no need. Also, there wasn't supposed to be any owls from Grimmauld. He entered his bedroom and took the letter from Pig. The tiny owl hooted gratefully and flew over to Hedwig's cage. Hedwig looked at him in annoyance as Pig drank water from her tray. Even though he was no longer a young owl, Pig was as energetic as ever.

Harry saw the letter was from Hermione and hoped it was news about Ginny. Hopefully she had spoken to Ginny and talked some sense into her. Harry still couldn't believe what Ginny had suggested to him. For them to have a baby together was utter insanity. Never mind that they were too young. There was also the fact that the entire wizarding world was at war. He didn't want to bring a child into this, especially since he was right in the middle of it.

He opened the letter and read over it. Then he reread it, slowly this time, hoping that he had read wrong. It couldn't be true. Harry glanced at Pig hoping that it was all a joke and that Hermione was just having some fun at his expense. Then he realized how stupid that thought was.

Taking deep breaths he slowly collapsed onto his bed, crumpling the letter into a ball. He didn't know how long he sat there, staring into space, not even aware of the soft hooting of the owls. All he could think about were the words in the letter.

Ginny was pregnant.

He closed his eyes, hoping the action would make the letter go away. Hermione had to be lying or terribly mistaken. Ginny _couldn't_ be pregnant. She was his girlfriend but they had never been together that way. Where would Hermione get this idea?

Harry leaned over and placed his hands onto his face, breathing deeply. He felt the letter rub roughly against his skin. Opening his eyes he saw that he was still clutching it. With a loud growl he threw it across the room. It bounced off the owl cage and Hedwig hooted at him angrily.

"Shut up Hedwig." He cried.

Ginny had been very insistent about having his baby. She had told him that it would protect him. Could she already have been…? He broke off the thought but found it wouldn't leave his thoughts. He desperately tried not to think about it. He wanted to trust his girlfriend and come up with other explanations. Maybe Ginny had caught the flu like Hermione. But Hermione was the smartest witch of his age. She would know the difference between the flu and pregnancy. Besides, he knew that Hermione had talked to Ginny. She would not have sent an owl if it wasn't true.

A painful idea formed in his mind. Ginny was pregnant by one of her old boyfriends and tried to pass the child off as his. Ginny wasn't pregnant by him so it _had_ to be one of her old boyfriends. How could she do this to him? He had to find out more facts.

Harry stood and walked over to his trunk. Pulling out a roll of parchment, he started a letter. He knew that she could not be very far along, so the only possibility was that Dean Thomas was the father.

_Dean,_

_I am writing the letter to inform you of some surprising news. Ginny is pregnant. There is no chance the baby is mine and I know Ginny dated you before me. You should contact her._

_Harry_ _Potter_

Harry folded the letter and went to the cage. A small part of him, a part that sounded very much like Hermione, yelled for him to at least talk to Ginny before going to her ex-boyfriends. He shoved that part away and took Hedwig out of her cage. He addressed the letter then took her to the window. Without a word he let her fly out.

Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to figure out what to do next. He knew that he needed to hear the words from Ginny herself that she was pregnant. That meant he needed to leave Privet Drive as soon as possible. He started to go over to his trunk but stopped. He knew it would be stupid for him to suddenly pack up and leave on his own. While he would be leaving sometime in the next month to start the Horcrux hunt, he would at least have Ron and Hermione with him. With a growl of frustration he grabbed another piece of parchment.

_Fred_ _or George,_

_I have received some very important news and need to get back to the house. Would one of you please come and get me?_

_Harry_

He addressed this letter and attached it to Pig. Harry watched as the over-excited owl took off after Hedwig. Turning around he lay on his bed, the initial shock beginning was beginning to wear off. As the full meaning hit him like a stunning spell to the gut. He tried to push it out of his brain, tried to focus on everything from Quidditch to where the Horcruxes could be. Nothing helped. Desperately he tried to sleep, in vain hope that this was all a horrible nightmare. Sleep wouldn't come.

None of it could really be true, could it? Hermione could be wrong at least once in her life, right? Even though he knew that Ginny had told her she was pregnant, he prayed that they both were wrong. Around four in the morning he finally fell into a restless sleep.

Harry awoke the next morning and wondered groggily why he was fully clothed and on top of his blanket. Then everything came rushing back in one horrifying wave. He looked around and saw that neither of the owls had returned. He knew it was foolish to hope that there would be an answer so soon.

He collapsed against his pillows, exhaustion overwhelming him. While he had slept for four hours, it had still been fitful. His dreams had been full of happy memories of times with Ginny. He knew there would never be happy times like those again. Not after she had lied and tried to use him.

He went over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt. Without thinking, he had grabbed the green T-shirt that Ginny had said she liked the best. She had said just a few weeks ago that it brought out the color of his eyes. He felt a sharp stab in his heart and threw the shirt onto the floor. It landed next to the crumpled up letter he had thrown on the floor the previous night. The letter that had started everything. In a wave of overwhelming rage, he snatched the letter off the floor and proceeded to tear in into hundreds of pieces. When he could no longer find pieces large enough to destroy, he stopped, breathing heavily. Harry picked up the jeans he had dropped and took another shirt out of his drawer.

Harry quickly pulled on his clothing and debated whether to head down to breakfast or not. He really didn't feel like dealing with the Dursleys, so he just pulled some cookies out of a bowl instead. He took a bite and frowned. These were the cookies that Ginny had recently made. He tossed the cookie back in the bowl and wondered if there was anything that wouldn't remind him on her. He glanced out the window for any sign of the owls.

It was nearly midnight when he finally got a reply from Fred and George. By then his anger had dissolved into a slow simmer. He took the letter from Pig and gave the owl a treat.

_Harry,_

_Sorry but we can't come and get you until maybe next week. Business is booming. I have heard nothing from Mum or anybody else so it can't be that important, right?_

_Fred_

Harry sat down on his bed. He didn't know what to do next. Truthfully he didn't really know anything anymore. With one letter everything he knew had changed. He had thought that Ginny was a sweet, honest girl. He thought he knew her. He trusted her. He loved Ginny. Harry realized how wrong he was. Was his judgment really so bad?

He hated this feeling of helplessness. Harry briefly looked at his Firebolt and contemplated leaving for Grimmauld on his own, before he came to his senses and started another letter.

_Fred_ _or George,_

_It happens to be very important. I know your business is also important though, after all I did help with creation of it._

_No big deal. I can make it on my own. I'm sure everyone will be very angry I traveled unprotected, but I'll just explain I couldn't get an escort._

_Harry_

With a self-satisfied smile he addressed the letter and went over to Pig. The owl looked at him and hooted softly. He was obviously exhausted. There was no way he could make another trip to London that night.

"It's alright. Go ahead and sleep. You can go tomorrow." He said bitterly and gave Pig another treat. As much as he wanted to leave as soon as he could, he knew killing Pig in the process was unacceptable.

Looking once more for Hedwig, he got ready and climbed into bed. He lay awake for the longest time wondering what he would say to Ginny when he saw her. A large part of him wanted to shout and call her all sorts of insulting names. He felt extremely hurt and used. Had she liked him at all, or just started to date him out of desperation? He knew that she had had a crush on him when she was younger, but it seemed to have faded over the years. It had been sort of strange that she had suddenly liked him again but he was just so happy he had thought nothing of it.

"I won't be that foolish again." He whispered before falling asleep.

The next morning the first thing he did was send the letter to the twins. He knew the minute Fred and George got the letter, they would come and get him. It was a mean tactic, using his financial contribution to their shop as a means to get his way. It was even more wrong to be threatening the wrath of the Order, or more frightening, Mrs. Weasley. But, he was desperate.

He packed his trunk to prepare for their arrival and went down to breakfast.

Nobody said anything to him and he was grateful. When a grapefruit was set in front of him he smiled. Aunt Petunia was still keeping Dudley on his diet in an attempt to keep him in shape for boxing. He gave the fruit to Dudley.

"No thanks. I'm leaving today and will eat later." He told her.

Uncle Vernon lowered his paper and made no attempt to hide his glee. "Really? How soon?"

"As soon as my escort arrives." Harry answered, not offering them anymore information.

"It won't be that strange shabby fellow will it?" Harry knew that the thought of Lupin showing up again during the day was very distressing to the Dursleys.

"No. It will be the Weasley twins. You know the guys who gave Dudley that very tasty toffee."

Dudley whimpered and covered his mouth. Three years ago Fred and George had left a Ton-Tongue Toffee around for Dudley to find. His tongue had swelled to over a foot before being returned to normal.

"I don't want them-" Uncle Vernon broke off, obviously debating on not wanting the twins in the house and his strong desire to have Harry out for good. Finally the latter won and he just grunted and returned to his paper.

Harry grinned and got up. "I'm sure they are eager to see you again Dudley." He told his cousin before heading up to his room.

As Harry waited for a reply from Fred or George, time seemed to act strangely. All he could focus on was what he would say to his girlfriend when he saw her. The logical, mature thing to do would be to sit down and talk. To try and see _her_ side of the story. She, however, did not seem to want to talk to him. She had had plenty of opportunities over the summer but she had not taken them. Instead she lied to him. Harry wasn't sure he would ever be able to forgive her.

There was a loud _pop_ and he found Fred standing in front of him, looking annoyed. Harry glanced at his nightstand clock and saw that half the day had passed.

"That was really uncalled for you know." Fred told Harry. Harry knew he was referring to the threat of his telling Mrs. Weasley why he had made the journey alone. "What's so important?"

"It's personal." Harry told him and grabbed his trunk. "I just need to get to Grimmauld."

"So personal you can't tell me? I'm hurt." Fred said, pretending to be insulted. He suddenly turned serious. "Harry you can talk to me. I can be serious when the need arises."

Harry ignored him and moved to the door.

"Does this have something to do with my sister?" Fred suddenly asked. Harry froze.

"I just need to get to Grimmauld." He said and left the room.

Fred wondered what was wrong with Harry. Whatever was going on had to be very big if it was making him leave so early. It couldn't have to do with Voldemort because he had heard nothing from the Order. Bill was keeping him and George informed of any news.

The Dursleys were gathered in the living room. When they saw Fred, Harry's Aunt Petunia pulled Dudley in her arms to shield him. As if she could. Fred saw Harry snort.

"Well this is goodbye." Harry said and paused as though waiting for something.

"Thank God." Uncle Vernon exclaimed not taking his eyes away from Fred. Fred just grinned and looked at Dudley.

"Anybody care for a Toffee?" Fred asked innocently, clutching the owl cage he had grabbed just a little tighter.

Aunt Petunia whimpered and held Dudley tighter. Uncle Vernon turned red. "Just get out of here."

Fred grinned wider and pulled a small bag out of his robe. He waved his wand to start a fire in the fireplace and tossed some floo powder into it. "To the Burrow then the other house" He told Harry, reminding him that The Burrow was the only place he could access Grimmauld by Floo Network.

Harry looked around at him family for a long moment. He then nodded as though confirming something. "Goodbye." He muttered and walked into the fireplace. He said his destination and disappeared.

Fred looked at the Dursleys in disbelief for a moment, before following.

"Ginny, why don't you go rest?" Hermione asked Ginny, watching as she cleaned a window. Mrs. Weasley had decided that she could no longer live in filth and that it was time that everyone should clean Grimmauld. Ginny had been assigned to windows.

Ginny sighed. Ever since their talk Hermione had been acting very peculiar. For some reason she seemed to think Ginny's argument with Harry had incapacitated her. Hermione kept taking over when she went to lift something. She kept bringing her drinks while saying Ginny needed to keep her health up. Even more annoying was the fact that Hermione kept telling her to go rest.

"I'm fine Hermione. Really. Anyway why are you so worried about me? You're the one with the flu."

Hermione looked uncomfortable. "I'm getting better." She said in a very unconvincing voice. Ginny knew Hermione didn't want anybody to know that she was still sick.

"Have you heard from Harry?" Hermione asked for the third time that day.

Ginny clutched her towel tightly. She had not contacted him. She knew it was childish but she was still angry. No, not angry anymore. Hurt that he had not listened to her.

"No I haven't." She said and hoped Hermione would drop it. Unfortunately Hermione had an irritating habit of pushing things.

"That's strange. Surely he would have answered you by now."

Ginny sighed. "If you must know I have not written to him yet."

Hermione was shocked. Ginny hadn't written to him? Didn't she know she needed to talk to Harry before it was too late? Once she started to show her family would know. Then there would be no chance of Harry and Ginny sorting things out without interference.

"Ginny he really needs to know. Not only so that you two can figure things out, but he has a right to know."

Ginny nodded and went over to another dusty window. She frowned and aimed her cleanser at it. She watched as it ran down the window, cutting deep rivers in the filth. "I know. It's no big deal though. I know I overreacted."

"Ginny it is a big deal." Hermione nearly yelled, startling Ginny in the process. Her voice was calmer as she continued. "You did not overreact at all." She went over to her friend. "You need to contact Harry and soon. He's a good guy. I'm sure he will support you."

Hermione was sure Harry would do the right thing but she had her reasons to doubt. She had not heard anything from Harry since she sent him the letter. Surely he would have contacted her or Ginny right away. Harry was a very good guy. Ginny's fears could not be real, could they? "Ginny I-I want you to know that…that I know, and I'll be here for you no matter what."

Ginny looked at her in confusion. "That's…nice but what are you talking about?"

Hermione bit her lip in frustration. Ginny herself had not yet told her that she was pregnant. Hermione just figured she was not ready to say them yet.

"I know that…" She broke off and placed her hand on her abdomen. She looked at her pointedly, hoping she would get the message. "I know."

"Alright." Ginny said and turned back to the window. She had no idea what Hermione was talking about but she agreed to whatever it was anyway, and went back to her cleaning.

With a loud bang the door flew open. Both girls turned around, startled, and saw Harry in the doorway. Ginny dropped her towel and went to hug him but stopped. He was clutching the door handle so tightly his knuckles were white and his face had the most peculiar look on it.

"Harry? Did something happen? Why are you back so early?" Ginny asked. Surely she would have been told if something had happened.

He stared at her in a way that made her very uncomfortable and when he spoke his voice was cold and flat. "Hermione may I speak to my girlfriend alone?"

Hermione set down the towel she had been using and nodded. 'Be honest,' she mouthed to Ginny before walking to the door. She gave Harry a worried look, before she walked out, closing the door behind her.

"Harry did something happen? Was there an attack?" Ginny asked, resisting the urge to squirm under his gaze.

"No. No attack. How have you been?" He asked her in that same flat tone. It scared Ginny slightly because his voice had always been so expressive.

"F-fine. Mum has had us cleaning. It's not as bad as when we came here the first time but it's still a job." She broke off, seeing that he was still staring at her. Looking in his eyes, she was shocked to find them full of fury.

"Oh. So you haven't been ill? No…morning sickness?" He asked conversationally.

Morning Sickness? Why would he think that? He knew that she never got sick. "No. I'm fine. Hermione is still ill with the flu but I haven't caught it. Why do you ask?"

"Maybe because I got a letter telling me that my girlfriend, who I have never slept with, is pregnant." He shouted suddenly.

Ginny stared at him in utter shock. He got a letter that she… Who would tell him such a lie? Worse, how could Harry believe it? She had to struggle to keep her voice normal as she replied to his accusation.

"Harry I-I have no idea who told you that but I assure you, I'm not pregnant."

"Don't lie to me." Harry shouted, shaking with suppressed anger. Here he was confronting her, and she was lying to his face. How could he have judged her so wrong?

"I'm not. I swear. Harry I'm not, nor could I be, pregnant. Who told you this?"

"Never mind who. That's not the point. The point is, you go on and on about me getting you pregnant to protect me with _love_" He spat the last word as though it was dirty. "and the truth is…the truth is, that you were just trying to pass off another guy's baby as mine. I can't believe you would do that to me."

"Harry I would never do something like that. I'm not pregnant. Please believe me." She begged, tears in her eyes.

"Don't bother to try and lie to me. I don't want to hear it." He shouted, cutting her off. His voice broke as he continued. He felt both heartbreak and rage. "I-I loved you Ginny."

"I love you too Harry. Why don't you believe me?" She cried. He could hear the disbelief and desperation in _her_ voice. He ignored all of that and continued. "I thought you were the sweetest girl I had ever met. Now I find out you're nothing but a-a liar and a manipulator and-. "

Ginny rushed forward and punched him so hard he fell to the ground. "How dare you." She hissed. "How _dare_ you! I have done none of that." She told him. He could hear the hurt and anger in her voice but ignored that too. Harry opened his mouth to reply but she continued. "None of it. I don't know where you got this information but it is not true. I-I have never cheated on you. The Harry Potter I love would know that." She grabbed her wand from her pocket, and Harry was suddenly in fear of her hexing him. He was surprised that she was so angry. After all, this was all her doing. If she used magic then she would be in deep trouble for violating the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry. If she was thrown out of school and had to stand trial, well Harry certainly wouldn't feel sorry for her. Instead she threw him a look of utmost loathing, and stormed out of the room, the door slamming against the wall.

Ginny stomped down the stairs, toward the floor her room was on, never having felt this kind of anger in her life. She had come very close to hexing Harry with every spell she knew. It had taken all of her self control not to.

Soon the door to her bedroom came into sight and she broke into a run, eager for the safe refuge the room provided. Once inside, she shut the door and collapsed into a heap on the floor.

Choking back the sob that was threatening to break loose, she took deep breaths. How could he think that she…well how could he think any of it? Sure, she had come up with the idea of the baby but that was it. Where would he get the idea that she was pregnant? She had never given anybody any reason to suspect that she was.

There was a knock on her door. She stood up and wiped the tears off her face. "Yes?"

"Dinner's ready." Hermione told her through the door.

"Just a minute." She told her friend, desperately wishing there was time to talk to her. Hermione always knew what to do. Ginny opened the door and looked at the older girl. "Hermione can we talk after dinner?"

"Of course Ginny." Hermione answered.

Hermione studied her as they walked down the stairs. By her red-rimmed eyes she figured the talk with Harry had not gone well. Well, that, and the beginnings of Harry's black eye. Together they went into the dining room.

As everybody took their seats in the dining room, Harry looked around and to his annoyance; he found that he was seated next to Ginny. She didn't even look at him when he sat, and he could practically feel her rage.

"Where'd you get the black eye?" Ron asked. It was a logical question but somehow he found telling everyone that Ginny did it, unacceptable.

"Mind your own business Ron." Harry muttered and took a bite of roast beef. He didn't miss Ginny's smug smirk.

"What was so important that you had to come back so early?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Harry cringed. Her question was asked in innocent concern but Harry wasn't in the mood for questions.

"Yes Harry, what was so important?" Ginny asked staring at him as though daring him to tell everyone the truth.

"It's personal Mrs. Weasley and I'd rather not talk about it right now." He said politely. She nodded and turned to talk to Bill. Harry heard Ginny call him a coward under her breath.

"What's so personal that you'd be willing to give up that protection stuff?" Ron asked his mouthful of carrots. Hermione threw him a disgusted look and picked at her food.

"Mind your own business Ron." Harry repeated, his anger growing.

Harry continued to eat his dinner, ignoring the conversation going on around him. He only started to pay attention when Mr. Weasley walked into the dining room, just having come home from work, and handed him a letter. He took it, looking at Mr. Weasley curiously.

"I found Hedwig outside perched on a stump. You're lucky she knew where to look for you." Harry nodded, embarrassed that in the excitement he had forgotten about her. He opened the letter, vaguely hearing Mr. Weasley asking why they didn't wait for him. It was a reply from Dean.

_Harry,_

_I have no idea what is going on but I can promise you that I never slept with Ginny. All we did was snog. The baby's not mine. I can't possibly tell you who the father could be because I thought she was being faithful to me when we were going out. I should have known something was up when she grew annoyed with me so suddenly._

_Dean_

Ginny watched Harry read his letter. She saw his face grow red and wondered what was causing it. She didn't get a chance to look because he turned to her.

"Just how many guys did you date?" He hissed.

She looked at him indignantly. "That is none of your business Harry Potter." Ginny hissed back.

He narrowed his eyes. "It is if you are trying to pass off some guy's baby as mine. Dean says it's not his so who got you pregnant Ginny?"

"For the last time-" She started, but then she broke off when she realized the dining room had gone completely silent. She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping, praying that it was not for the reason she thought. Unfortunately it was.

"You're pregnant!" Mrs. Weasley cried.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I apologize to each and every reader of this fanfic for not updating in nearly a year. Unfortunately life, mainly my first year of college, got into the way. I hope everyone will forgive me and enjoy this chapter. There will be another update coming soon. I promise.

The first half of this chapter is betaed by the wonderful and extremely patient Disabled-Cloud-Flyer, the second half is unbetaed.

* * *

"Pregnant?" Mrs. Weasley repeated softly. The dining room was so silent that they could hear breathing. Ginny knew that Harry was very angry. He was staring at her intently and his breathing was harsh and slow. Ginny didn't know whether to panic or yell at him.

"Mum I-" She tried and stopped when her voice trembled. She wouldn't, no couldn't cry. She would not give Harry the satisfaction of knowing that this was affecting her.

Her father slowly set down his fork and cleared his throat. Ginny knew that his calm exterior was just for show and that she was in deep trouble. "Will everybody but Harry and Ginny please excuse us?"

Everyone left the kitchen as quickly and quietly as possible. Ginny watched with horror as her mother lowered her head to her hands and her shoulders shook. She wasn't sure, but Ginny thought she could occasionally hear the words 'Not my baby girl too' more than once.

"I do not understand 'ow Ginny could be pregnant." Fleur said, breaking the deep silence that everybody now in the family room was keeping. "She 'as shown no sign. I 'ad thought that it was 'Ermione who was weeth child what weeth 'er sickness."

"Don't be stupid." Ron growled angrily. The complete meaning of what was going on was beginning to sort itself out. His best friend had gotten his sister pregnant. How dare he? Yes, he had given his permission for them to date, but not for them to…

Ron climbed the stairs and slammed into his bedroom, kicking the trash bin that was next to the bed. "That…that…I could hex him." He said.

Hermione opened the door a few moments later. She saw Ron's mood and crossed her arms, hoping that he wound not do something stupid. "He's your best friend."

"He was. My best friend would not have-She's my sister." He exclaimed.

"There is nothing you can do about it now. Done is done." Hermione stated matter-of-factly. She felt very guilty. This was not how it was supposed to have happened. But then, what was supposed to have happened? Did she really think that everybody would be happy about it? They had not been happy about her marriage to Ron and this was far, far worse.

She and Ron sat in silence, both lost in thought, until Ginny's scream echoed through the house. "Why won't you believe me?"

Hermione rushed to the open bedroom door and saw Ginny running up the stairs. Her face was wet with tears and she had a runny nose that she was swiping furiously at. She spotted Hermione and stopped. "I'll bet you don't believe me either."

"Ginny I-" Hermione started, wanting to tell her that things will be alright. That she was there for her no matter what. The redhead didn't give her a chance; she just hurried past her without another word.

"Harry. What happened?" Hermione asked, speaking softly and hurrying over to the top step. Harry leaned against the wall looking troubled and crossed his arms.

"I told them the truth. That the baby isn't mine."

Hermione gasped. Wasn't his? But from the conversation with Ginny she had all but said that-

"She was trying to pass it off as mine." He continued bitterly. "I don't know whose it is."

"Not only do you get my sister pregnant, but now you're lying about it?" Ron demanded to know. Hermione whipped around and saw him glaring, wand pointed at Harry's chest. She took a shaky breath and spoke calmly.

"Ron put that down. You're not going to do anything to Harry."

"Why not? He did something to my sister!"

"I'm not lying Ron. The kid isn't mine." Harry stated.

"So now my sister's a-a whore?" Ron cried.

Hermione knew that if she didn't do something this could get out of hand. She turned to her husband. His face was dark red and she could see that he was fighting the urge to attack. "Stop it. Both of you. Now is not the time to be fighting. How are we going to hunt for the Horcruxes if you keep on like this?" She paused. "Besides. We need to think of Ginny now."

"Why should I? She…She cheated on me! She lied to me." Harry cried out moving past Ron and Hermione to his bedroom. "I didn't do anything. You need to realize your sister is not who…what she seems."

Hermione watched him go then turned to Ron. He was staring after Harry clutching his wand tightly and clenching his jaw. It was nice to see him so protective of his sister. Hermione wondered if he would be that protective of her. Without a word, Ron went into the bedroom and closed the door.

With a sigh Hermione slowly went downstairs. She thought that she would get some pumpkin juice and see if Ginny wanted to talk. As she neared the kitchen, she heard voices the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"It'll be alright Molly. It will." Mr. Weasley tried to sooth his distraught wife.

"How can it?" Mrs. Weasley sobbed. "Our little girl is pregnant."

"We do not know that for sure. She denied it. We'll just have to wait and see."

Mrs. Weasley sniffed. "Of course she denies it. She does not want to get into trouble." There was a pause then a humorless laugh. "Not that she can get into any more trouble. I just wonder why Harry is denying that it is his." There was another pause. "What has happened to our family Arthur?"

"What do you mean?"

"Bill is scarred for life and marrying Fleur. Percy's… Fred and George never finished school. Ron ruined his life, and from the sound of things might become a father soon. Now Ginny's pregnant at fifteen. Where did we go wrong?" She let out an anguished sob and Hermione crept away.

As she walked up the stairs, Mrs. Weasley's words repeated in Hermione's head. Ron had ruined his life. It was obvious that Mrs. Weasley had meant that he had ruined it by marrying her. Taking a deep breath Hermione tried to fight back her tears. While she knew that everybody was initially opposed to the marriage, they seemed to have calmed down and even accepted her into the family. They had always treated her like a daughter. Why should they resent her so much now?

When she returned to the bedroom she saw Ron pacing the floor like a caged bull. He had changed into his pajamas, but was obviously far from going to sleep.

"I otta go and hex him. No, curse him. I know some good curses."

"Don't be stupid Ron. Hurting Harry will not change anything."

"It would make me feel better. Look at what he did to me."

Hermione crossed her arms and turned to Ron. "What he did to you? He didn't do anything to you."

"He betrayed me! You don't mess with a best friend's sister. You can date her, even snog her, but you don't go any further. It's a basic rule and he broke it. He betrayed me."

Hermione had had enough. "That's what you're upset about? That's why you're angry? So, it doesn't matter that your sister is pregnant and that the father is denying it's his? Or that your whole family hates me, and thinks I ruined your life? No. Of course it doesn't because like always you think the whole world revolves around you, and anybody else's problems are not important." She yelled and stormed out the door.

Hermione went to Ginny's room and knocked. "Ginny? It's me."

There was a long silence before Ginny answered. She placed her hands on her hips in a manner very much like Mrs. Weasley. "What do you want?"

"Come on. We're getting out of here."

Without an explanation she grabbed Ginny's arm and hauled her downstairs.

There was no sign of the elder Weasleys', and the girls had no trouble leaving the house. Out on the sidewalk, Ginny looked at Hermione with wide eyes.

"What's going on Hermione? Where are we going?"

Hermione ran her hands over her face and tried to push the second thoughts she was having out of her head. The truth was she had no idea. For the first time in her life she was acting without much thought. At the time, her only plan of action was to get out of the house and away from people who resented her. Suddenly, a thought entered her mind.

"We are going to go have some fun." She told Ginny with growing confidence. "I have some cousins here in London who own a club. We are going to go there."

Ginny looked at her doubtfully but followed.

The Club, as it was called, was owned by two of Hermione's cousins from her mother's side. Unlike most clubs that she had seen on television, The Club was quite timid. The small two story brick building had no neon signs, and music could only be heard when the door was opened. The owners' motto was _Lure Them In By Class, Not Flash_.

Gripping Ginny's hand tightly, Hermione led the frightened teenager through the doors.

Ginny let out an audible gasp when they were inside. Hermione knew that it was a huge shock to the young witch. A long bar lined one side of the club, while a large dance floor took up most of the rest of the place. There were tables and sofas dotting the far wall and moderately loud music was blasting from all directions.

"D-do you come here often?" Ginny stammered looking around at everything.

"No. I've only been here twice. This is not usually my kind of thing." Hermione told her as she made her way through small clusters of people to the bar.

"Hi. Could you please tell Adrianna and Chelsea that Hermione's here? And two sodas please." Hermione told the bartender.

Ginny sat down on a stool and turned to her sister-in-law. She was singing softly to the song that was playing. The singer was asking if you loved him now that he could "mash potato" and "do the twist" whatever those were. "Hermione what is going on?"

Hermione sighed and looked at the soda that was just set in front to her. "I'm…I'm just…I don't want to talk about it. Alright? Can we just have fun and not talk too much?"

Ginny nodded and was thankful. She really did not want to get into another argument. She knew that nobody believed that she was not pregnant. It hurt her deeply that her own mother would not listen to her. She wasn't going to protest any longer. Everybody would just have to see the truth when she did not give birth in nine months.

The bartender returned a few minutes later. "I'm sorry but Chelsea is not here tonight, however Adrianna will be out here in a moment."

Hermione nodded and turned to look out at the dance floor. "Well Ginny…Want to dance?"

Ginny looked out at the dance floor and shook her head. "I'm fine."

Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you here, into my problems. It was foolish. Do you want to go home?"

"No. I kind of like it here. It's…different. We can stay a little-" She broke off when a young guy suddenly walked up to them.

"Hello. My name is Joshua. I was wondering if you would like to dance."

Hermione smiled. "Sorry, but I'm married. I'm sure Ginny would love to dance. Right Gin?"

Ginny's eyes widened. "Um…I don't really know how…"

Joshua smiled. "It's alright. I can show you."

"But Hermione-"

"I'll be fine. Go have fun."

Ginny nodded and left with Joshua. Hermione sighed and turned to her drink. What had she been thinking? The logical thing to do would be to go and get Ginny and go back home. Home. The truth was, she had no home. Her parents had all but disowned her, and the Weasley's thought of her as a life ruiner. Fighting back tears, Hermione took a sip of her soda.

"Hermione? _What_ are you doing here?" A voice practically screamed at her. A moment later she was pulled into a tight hug.

"Hello Adrianna. How are you?"

"I'm fine. As you can see business is great. But what about you? Mum has been on the phone on and off for days trying to calm down Aunt Lillian. What is this about you running away?"

"I-I didn't run away. I-I had a difference of opinion with Mum and Dad and moved in with a friend. Well…more than a friend. I got married Adri" Hermione informed her cousin and held up her hand.

Adrianna sat down on the stool next to her. "Oh my-Are you pregnant?"

"What? No! I just…I can't tell you everything, but they wanted to take me away from everything I hold dear, so I left."

"Well I'd certainly like to hear what you can tell me. Start at the beginning."

"So do you live around here?" Joshua asked Ginny. They had tried dancing but Ginny didn't seem to be enjoying it. Now they were sitting on one of the sofas talking.

"Yes and no. Right now my family is staying with friends. Soon I'll be going off to school though." Ginny answered.

"Me too. I go to a boarding school in Scotland."

"I love my school. It's like a second home."

"Yeah. It is. What school do you go to?"

"I…it's a school for…gifted students. What about you?"

"I don't think you'd have heard of it." He evaded. "Would you like more soda?"

Ginny nodded and they went over to the bar. Ginny saw that Hermione was just finishing up a conversation with her cousin, so she decided to wait and see if they were going to leave.

Hermione noticed her and placed her hand on Ginny's arm. "Adri this is my friend and sister-in-law Ginny. Ginny, this is Adrianna."

"Nice to meet you." Ginny said shyly. Turning when Joshua pushed the soda into her hand, she tried not to eavesdrop.

"I'd really like to see you again Ginny. Can I write to you?" Joshua was asking.

"I-I don't think so. It's really hard to get post at my school." She paused. "Joshua, I'm seeing somebody and…it's complicated."

Joshua held up a hand. "Understood. I had fun. I hope to see you again but…" Grabbing his soda, he turned and went back over to the sofas.

Ginny felt terrible. He was a really nice guy who probably would not accuse her of being a whore. Actually, why couldn't she write to him and see him again? Harry obviously wanted nothing more to do with her. She set her soda on the bar and ran after him.

"Joshua! Wait!"

"Ginny? What is it?"

"I do want to see you again. The guy I'm seeing? He's…not very nice. And it's not a steady relationship so… I'm in London until September."

Joshua grinned. "I'd like that. How about next week? Here?"

"That would be nice. I'll see you then."

With a small wave, she returned to Hermione.

"Wow." Adrianna said when Hermione finished her extremely edited story. "That's… I'm happy that you finally have friends Hermione, and a boyfriend, but is it really worth giving up your family? What if this relationship does not work out? What will you do then?"

"I don't know Adri. I'm so confused now. I honestly don't know what to do."

"Go home. Talk to your parents. I'm sure that they'll take you back. Aunt Lillian is devastated. She wants her baby girl back."

Hermione paused with her straw halfway to her mouth. "That's just it. I'm not their baby girl anymore. I can't go home until they realize that." She stood up and saw Ginny heading towards her. "I have to go now. Thank you for listening. I'll see you…sometime. Tell Mum and Dad that…that I miss them and I love them. If they'll listen."

Adrianna stood up and pulled Hermione into a hug. "Alright. Just think about what I said. Please?"

Hermione nodded but didn't say anything. Ignoring Ginny's questioning look, she led the way out of the club.

She was now more confused than ever. Apparently her parents wanted her back. That was a nice change from not even opening her letter. The problem was, they wanted things back the way they were. She knew that if she went back, they would once again try and cut her off from the magical world. She couldn't let that happen. She needed to help Harry. She would never be able to live with herself if she abandoned him.

The house was dark and silent when the girls arrived. This changed when they opened the door. Waiting for them were the eldest Weasley's, Harry, and Ron.

"_Where in the world have you two been? We have been worried sick. I thought He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had gotten you two. What were you thinking leaving like this? You know that we are targets. Are you two completely mad?_" Mrs. Weasley screamed, setting off the port rate in the hallway. She continued to yell while Hermione and Ginny stood there stunned.

"Mum I-"

"What? What do you have to say that will justify running away?"

"It was my fault Mrs. Weasley. I took Ginny with me. I visited a relative. I'm sorry, I should have told someone we were leaving."

Mrs. Weasley started to speak, but her husband put a hand on her to restrain her. "If you wanted to see your relatives than wouldn't tomorrow have been better?"

To her horror Hermione felt herself tearing up. "I'm sorry. I guess I ruin everybody's life, don't I?" She sobbed and ran upstairs to her room.

Mrs. Weasley watched her go, looking stunned. Sighing heavily, she started up the stairs. "Ginny?"

"Yes, Mum?"

"You're grounded."

"Yes, Mum." Turning to Harry, she crossed her arms. "What do you want now?"

"Nothing." He replied and went upstairs.

Once in her bedroom, Hermione sat down on the bed and continued to sob. Vaguely she heard Ron enter the room, but it didn't matter. Everything had finally overwhelmed her.

"Mione? Stop crying. Please? I'm sorry that Mum yelled at you, but it is no reason to cry."

"It's not her. It's just too much. I can't take anymore."

"Ok. So don't." He said simply.

That made her laugh and her crying slowed. "I wish it was that easy." She paused. "I miss my Mum and Dad. I want to go to Hogwarts. I want to help you and Harry. I want your Mum to stop resenting me. I want Harry and Ginny to get along, and for Ginny to not be pregnant."

He sat down on the bed and put her arm around her. "I want those things too. Well, except for the Hogwarts part. This may surprise you, but I'm not the best student. Anyway, I just…I wanted to tell you that…your problems matter to me. I mean, I'm your husband. Husbands are supposed to listen and care, right?"

Hermione nodded, knowing what it was taking for Ron to say this. He had never really been good that the whole emotional thing. "They are. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

He smiled. "You're yelling at me doesn't bother me. Never has. Just…next time we fight please don't runaway like that. Death Eaters, Hermione, attacked us! What were you thinking leaving? You could have been killed, or tortured. And to put Ginny in danger. I hate to say it, but she's pregnant. You put her baby in danger too!"

Hermione cringed at his harsh voice, especially since she knew that he was right. It had been foolish of her to run off. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Ron nodded, but judging from the shade of red that his ears were, he was still furious. There was nothing she could do about it though. Getting up from the bed, she silently went over to the dresser and began to change into her pajamas. Ron did the same, and they silently got into bed.

Staring at the back of Hermione's head, Ron wished that he could say what he really felt. Finding her gone from Grimmauld had scared him. The thought of losing her terrified him more than any thought of battling Voldemort. He truly loved her. Well, he thought that he did. Having never been in love before, he didn't really know. But if he imagined what being in love would feel like, this was it. Part of him was uncomfortable with the whole emotional, being in love thing. It went against his normal personality. He had agreed to it when he put the ring on, so he would do it. Putting his arm around her, he puller her tight against him and fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Ron quietly walked into his bedroom and shook his head when he found Hermione asleep. It was almost noon. Sitting on the corner of the bed, he reached out and lightly touched her face. "Hermione?" She didn't even stir. He moved his hand to her shoulder, lightly shaking it. "Hermione? You should probably get up."  
Hermione opened her eyes a tiny bit. "Hmm? Tired. Go away."  
Ron sighed and got up. While over the past few weeks she had tried to hide the fact that she was still ill, Ron was not fooled. Something was seriously wrong. Normal illnesses did not last months. He knew, however, that there was no way she would see anybody about it. He really wanted to ask his Mum to see if she could figure out what was wrong. She was one of the best healers he knew. Hermione would never agree to it though. She had this crazy idea that his Mum hated her. Grabbing his Wizard Chess set from his trunk, he left the room.

Ron found Harry in the living room reading. He hadn't said two words to his best friend since Ginny's pregnancy was revealed. It was now time to fix things. He no longer believed that it was Harry who had got Ginny pregnant. His best friend would never do that. Ron set the chess set on the edge of the footstool. "Want to play?"Harry gave him a wary look. "Why?"  
Ron shrugged. "I'm bored, and Hermione's asleep."  
Harry narrowed his eyes but took his feet off the footstool. "Alright."  
Ron pulled a chair up and began to set up the board. Harry, without looking at him, helped him set up. At first things were tense, then slowly they relaxed into the old comfortable friendship. In their way, they both were apologizing for their past actions.  
Mrs. Weasley passed by the door on her way to the kitchen. She was carrying a half empty bottle of Firewhisky. Ron sighed and shook his head. "Great."  
"What?"  
"Haven't you noticed? Mum is drinking more. I mean, she used to like Firewhisky occasionally, but I have not seen her without a bottle in her hand since you know. That day."  
Harry winced but did not look up from the board. "Your move."  
"I'm not too worried about her. I'm more worried about Ginny."  
Harry prodded a chess piece with his wand but stayed silent. Ron frowned when it defeated a piece of his. "Has she spoken to you?"  
"Not since that night"  
"Don't get me wrong, I want to find the guy who did this to her and curse him, but I no longer think it was you."  
Harry nodded, and for the first time since the game began looked up. "How is Ginny?"  
"I'm not sure. She's still avoiding me."  
Harry defeated another of Ron's pieces and decided to change the subject. "What's going on with Hermione?"  
"What do you mean?" Ron asked. He knew exactly what Harry meant. Since the day she has seen her relative, Hermione had completely changed her personality. She no longer kept her clothing immaculate and wrinkle free. In fact, just the other day, Ron had seen her picked a shirt up off the floor and put it on over the same bra she had been wearing for the last three weeks. When he had, stupidly, joked that he was a bad influence, Hermione had yelled at him and stormed out of the room. It was an event that was happening far too often, in his opinion. He was beginning to no longer want to be around her. While it was true that they had practically fought since the day that they had met, their marriage had begun to change that. He really didn't want it to go back to the old ways.  
What worried him the most was the fact that her magic seemed affected. He had seen Hermione try to do a simple Accio spell and it had gone wrong. She had tried to hide it, but he had a feeling that it had happened before.Now, Ron had never paid that much attention in school, everybody knew that Hermione was the smart one, but he knew that anything that affected a witch's magic was extremely serious. He tried not to think about it too much, but his mind kept coming up with more and more outrageous and horrible possibilities as to the cause.  
On the edge of his awareness, he heard Harry still speaking. Choosing his friends voice over his own disturbing thoughts, he listened. "What?"  
"I asked, is something wrong? I mean, we're heading out on the Horcrux hunt in a few days. Will Hermione be able to go?"  
"Of course she will." Ron answered in an entirely unconvincing voice. He paused and leaned over the board, the game forgotten. "Actually, I'm sort of worried about her. She's sick, Harry." Ron paused again when he found his voice shaking. "Really sick. Has been for weeks. I-I don't know what it could be. What sickness lasts this long?"  
Harry looked around for a moment and then spoke. "Maybe she's finally snapped."  
"What?"  
"Well, Hermione has always had the perfect life. She's always done everything she could to keep it perfect. Well now it's as far from perfect as it could get. I think she just couldn't take it, and snapped."  
Ron considered it then shook his head. "No. It's Hermione, Harry. If she goes crazy, what hope is there for us?"  
Harry smiled then turned his attention back to the game by defeating another of Ron's pieces. "You're right. She's probably just pregnant."

Hermione stretched in bed and clenched her eyes tight against the bright light streaming in through the window. Something had woken her, but she wasn't sure what. She should get up, but she just didn't feel like it. She had no idea what time it was, but there was the vague memory of Ron telling her to get up. She got out of bed and immediately her stomach growled. It had to be past breakfast. She supposed that she should go and get something to eat. Not even bothering to get dressed or even put on a bathrobe, she left her room.  
"Ginevra Weasley, get down here this minute! I'm not going to tell you again!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. Now she knew what had awoke her. Behind her, Ginny slammed her bedroom door as she left, muttering under her breath. She passed Hermione and paused on the step below.  
"Are you just getting up?"  
"Yeah. So?" Hermione answered.  
"So it's almost noon."  
"GINEVRA!"  
"Coming. And it's Ginny." Ginny yelled, threw Hermione a confused look, and hurried down the stairs. Hermione debated whether or not to go and change, but decided against it. What was the big deal?

Passing the living room, she heard Ron and Harry's voices. They were talking? Since when? She was about to enter the room when their topic of conversation stopped her.  
"-probably just pregnant."  
Ron coughed. "What? Are you mental? No way! Not possible."  
"You two sleep together. I know you do." Harry said in an uncomfortable tone.  
"Yeah. So? I mean, we are married so it's not-" Ron hurriedly explained.  
"Well then it is a possibility."  
"No. No way. She-she wouldn't. She couldn't. Harry!"  
Hermione leaned against the wall outside the living room. Ron and Harry thought that she was pregnant. They obviously were seriously mistaken. While it was true that she wasn't her normal self, what did they expect? Her life was in ruins. Her parents had disowned her, she was married before she had even graduated, her husband's parents resented her, and she had destroyed her best friend's relationship with each other. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the kitchen. Hearing raised voices as she drew closer, she soon realized that they belonged to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.  
"I don't care. You are not leaving my sight today. We are going, and that's final. And don't think I don't know what you've been up to lately."  
Ginny spun around from the table and glared, placing her hands on her hips in a sub-conscious imitation of her mother. "And what is that Mum?"  
"You've been sneaking out. I know it. I'm tired of this Ginny. Don't you care that you're putting your baby's life in danger by leaving?"  
"For the millionth time, I. Am. Not. Pregnant."  
"You can deny it all you want Ginevra, but-"  
"I can't believe this. Don't you see-" She broke off and paused, an ugly sneer forming on her face. "No, it seems you can't see past your next bottle of Firewhisky."  
Hermione gasped and took a step forward. Mrs. Weasley looked like Ginny had physically walked over and struck her in the face. Preparing for the inevitable explosion, Hermione gripped the door jam. To her shock, Mrs.Weasley just told Ginny to get out of the kitchen. Hermione moved out of the way and frowned as Ginny passed her. How could the young girl say something so hurtful to her own mother? She should consider herself lucky that her mother still cared about her. Watching Mrs. Weasley sigh in defeat and grab the bottle next to her, Hermione walked into the kitchen.  
Mrs. Weasley look at her, startled, then smiled. "Oh. Hello Hermione. You missed breakfast."  
"Yes, I was hoping to get something now. If that's alright?"  
"Of course it is dear. Just make sure it's something small. We're leaving in about half an hour."  
"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, grabbing an apple from the counter.  
"Hogwarts." Mrs. Weasley answered quietly. "We need to tell Headmistress McGonagall about Ginny's condition, and see what their policy is on those situations."  
Hermione hadn't thought about how this would affect Ginny's schooling. The truth was she had purposely kept her mind off of Hogwarts. It still was very difficult for her to acknowledge that she would never be going back there. "All of us are going?"  
"Yes. Arthur, Bill and Fleur are at work, and I'm not leaving you guys here alone. Besides, Minerva mentioned wanting to give you something."  
Hermione nodded and left the kitchen after promising to inform Ron and Harry about the trip. She really didn't want to speak with them at the moment, what with what they had been saying about her, but it was important.

Walking into the room, she saw Ron and Harry bent over the chess game. They weren't playing, just staring at each other. Feigning ignorance as to the reason, she cleared her throat. The noise startled the boys. They looked at her, Ron visibly paler. "It appears that we are going to Hogwarts in about a half hour."  
"Why?" Harry asked.  
"To see what the policy on pregnant students is." At the word pregnant Ron dropped a chess piece. It shattered all over the floor. Hermione sighed and took out her wand. "_Reparo_." The chess pieces jumped a little, but remained unbroken. With a frustrated cry, she stormed out of the room.  
Harry watched her go then turned back to Ron. His friend was staring after Hermione with a look of horror on his face.  
"Harry...what...what if she really is-"  
"It's alright Ron. I don't think she is. I mean, it's Hermione. She's smarter than that."

A half an hour later everyone stood in front of the fireplace in the kitchen, about to Floo to Hogwarts. The only problem was Ginny was refusing to go. She stood in front of the fireplace with her arms crossed. "No."  
"Ginny."  
"No, Mum. This has gone too far. I am not going to go and bring Professor McGonagall into this twisted fantasy of yours."  
"Ginny if you do not grab a handful of powder and enter that fireplace right this minute I will stun you, Apparate to Hogsmede then carry you up to Hogwarts."  
Hermione turned to Ron and gave him a look of disbelief. "Would she really do that?" Hermione whispered.  
"I wouldn't put it past her. This whole pregnancy has really put her on the edge."  
Hermione nodded and watched as Ginny disappeared. Grabbing a handful of powder, she soon followed.

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and into what was now Headmistress McGonagall's office. Feeling extremely nauseous after the trip, she leaned against the wall and took the opportunity to look around. Most of Dumbledore's personal items had been removed, but a few silver instruments remained on tables around the room.  
"May I ask what is going on Molly? Your letter sounded urgent." McGonagall asked.  
Mrs. Weasley glanced at Ginny, who crossed her arms and looked away. Ron tugged at Hermione's arm and they took seats away from the main group.  
"Well, I thought that you should be informed before the new term that Ginevra is pregnant."  
McGonagall pressed her lips together in a tight line. She was about to speak when behind her, the portrait of Phineas Nigellus sat up straighter.  
"Inappropriate! Send her away at once!"  
"Phineas..." McGonagall warned.  
"I know that you're new to this, but she would reflect poorly on the school."  
McGonagall held up a hand. Phineas quieted and Hermione saw that all of the portraits, especially Dumbledore's, were paying attention with avid interest.  
"Pregnant?" McGonagall asked.  
"No." Ginny cried.  
"Ginevra." Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.  
"No, Professor, I am not pregnant. Please believe me."  
Hermione glanced at Ron, who had started tapping his wand against the leg of the chair nervously. Hermione turned back to the group, appalled. It was one thing to lie to one's family. It was another to lie to Professor McGonagall.  
"Are you denying this accusation, Miss Weasley?" McGonagall asked.  
"Yes."  
Hermione huffed. "Ginny, it's alright. Tell them what you told me."  
Everyone spun around to look at Hermione. If she had been standing, she definitely would have had the urge to back up.  
"I didn't tell you anything, Hermione." Ginny claimed, confused.  
"Yes, you did. The day Harry went back to the Dursley's." Hermione got up and walked up to the group. Ron stayed where he was, tapping his wand. "We spoke and you told me how you were pregnant. That's why I sent the owl."  
"You misunderstood. I said that I wanted to have Harry's baby, to keep him safe, not that I was having his baby." Ginny exclaimed.  
"Please explain this reasoning." McGonagall asked gently, but firmly.  
"I-I had been thinking about what you had said about the love thing. About Hermione and Ron? Well Harry and I are-were in love. I had thought that maybe a baby would make that love stronger. But Harry said no."  
"He said more than that. He said that he had enough to think about without a kid to worry about too. You were crying." Hermione explained, her voice shaking. She was beginning to see that she may have made a terrible mistake.  
"I did tell you that, but I didn't say that I was pregnant."  
"Are you pregnant Miss Weasley?" McGonagall asked.  
"No, Professor, I am not."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes." She growled and spun around. "_Expelliarmus._" Ron's wand flew out of his hand and he looked at his sister, bewildered. "It was annoying and you know it."  
"Well, I can say that I now know for sure that you are not pregnant."  
"You believe me?" Ginny asked, relieved.  
"The fact that you did that spell correctly proves it." At their confused looks she explained. "When a witch is pregnant her magic is affected. Even a simple spell a first-year learns sometimes goes wrong or does not work."  
"What do you mean, Professor?" Hermione asked.  
"Pregnancy affects emotions and hormones. Magic is influenced by these things. The fact that Miss Weasley was bale to perform that spell perfectly proves that she is not with child."  
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "I didn't know, seeing as she can't perform magic off of school grounds. Oh thank Merlin!"  
"You could have just trusted me Mum." Ginny said quietly.  
Behind her, Hermione heard Ron get up. Turning, she saw him staring at her, obviously shaken. Knowing what he was thinking, she shook her head, silently begging him not to say anything. He nodded.  
"Now, I wanted to give this to you Mrs. Granger-Weasley." McGonagall handed her an envelope. Inside was a shiny Head Girl badge. "Congratulations."  
Hermione stared at the badge in her hand and felt a bittersweet happiness. She had wanted to be Head Girl since she was a first-year. Handing it back to McGonagall, she bit her lip. "Thank you, but I can't accept it. You know I'm not coming back. I'm going with Harry and Ron."  
"Oh. Right. Well keep it anyway. You earned it. And who knows, maybe you'll change your mind." Hermione nodded and set it onto a table when McGonagall wasn't looking. There was no way she was changing her mind. Not after everything she had gone through.  
"Thank you Minerva and I'm sorry to have bothered you." Mrs. Weasley said as she walked towards the fireplace.  
"It's quite alright Molly. I'm just pleased it was a misunderstanding. I would hate to have expelled such a gifted witch and wizard."  
Hermione froze. "What?"  
"I'm afraid so. While there is no official rule about student pregnancies, I can see Phineas's point. It would reflect poorly on the school."  
Along the wall, Hermione saw Phineas and several other portraits looking pleased, most of the others, however looked disappointed. Dumbledore was among them.  
"And since it takes two to produce a child...well there is no worry now. See you on the first."

Back at Grimmauld Ginny immediately turned on Hermione. "I cannot believe all of this was because of you! Do you know what this will have done to my reputation? From now on stay out of my business" She screamed and stormed off. Hermione paid her no attention and ran up the stairs to her room.  
It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. She was Hermione Jane Granger, smartest witch of her age. She wasn't stupid enough, irresponsible enough to-  
"Hermione?" Ron's voice broke through her thoughts.  
"Ron."  
"I-It's not true, is it? You're not-you are, aren't you? "  
She spun around. "Of course not. It's just a coincidence. Stress. That's it. Stress."  
"Hermione"  
"I mean I have been nauseous because of the flu-" Ron closed the door and stepped closer to her. She could tell that he clearly did not believe her. "-And the magic thing is because of stress. You heard McGonagall. Emotions affect magic. Stress." To her dismay, her voice was rising with each passing word, reflecting her inner panic.  
"'Mione...I think that...that you're..." He stammered, reaching for her.  
"I'm not pregnant Ronald!" She cried and walked to the nightstand. "I'll prove it." She pulled a planner out and flipped through it until she found what she was looking for. She went over to Ron and shoved it in his face. "See. Those dots mean that I had m-my period. I'm not pregnant."  
Ron stared at the planner then closed his eyes. "'Mione, this is for May."  
"What? That's re-" She saw the date and gave a shaky, high-pitched laugh. Flipping through the pages, she went through June, July, and the first two weeks of August, but found no more dots. "I-I must have forgot to mark them, in all the excitement."  
"Hermione."  
"No."  
"Hermione." He repeated, his voice shaking. Hermione raised her eyes and saw the pure terror on his face. Clutching the planner so tightly that her nails tore through several pages, she shook her head.  
"No. No, no, no, no, no, no!" She cried backing up until the edge of the bed collided with her legs.  
Ron, his face white, his eyes full of terror and to her shock tears, softly spoke one word. "Yes."  
Hermione let out a loud, agony filled sob and collapsed onto the bed.  
He was right. She was pregnant. Deep down, she had known it for weeks. She just hadn't wanted to admit it. Desperately, she held back the tears that were threatening.  
"Hermione-" Ron started, sitting next to her. He tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she shoved him away.  
"Don't touch me."  
"What-what are we going to do?" He asked softly, fiddling with some item in his hands. "You can't go with Harry and me-"  
"Of course I can go."  
"Not now. You're...you're magic is messed up."  
"I'm going Ron." She stood up and turned to face him. "I have to go. Otherwise, what was the point? Defying my parents, the marriage, all of it? What was the point? If I go, it would have been for nothing!"  
"I know but-"  
"I'm going Ronald."  
Ron turned red and jumped up. His face mere inches from hers; she took a step back in shock. He had never looked so angry. "No, you're not. Damn it Hermione-"  
"Don't you yell at and swear at me. How dare you? Who do you think you are?"  
Ron stared at her for a moment then sat back down. "I'm sorry. I just...I'm scared Hermione. I'm just a kid myself."  
Hermione turned away and walked over to the other side of the room. She really wanted to run away, a strange urge considering the fact that she wasn't a runner, but she knew that she needed to be adult about it. Besides, she may run but she couldn't get away from the baby growing inside her. That one small thought finally destroyed the last of her control. Silently, she let the tears fall down her face. "You're scared? I am just a kid too, Ron. How do you think I feel? It's worse for me. I'm the kid who has...has-" She broke off and placed a hand on her still flat abdomen.  
"Hermione I-" She heard him get up and tried to stop her tears, knowing that he was going to come over to her. She couldn't let him see her crying. She was the strong one. Instead of hearing his footsteps approach her, she heard him heading for the door. Spinning around, Hermione saw Ron reaching for the doorknob. Giving her a panicked look, he opened it. "I-I'm sorry. I can't. I just can't." Without a backwards glance, he walked out of the room. Hermione stood rooted in place for a long while, not quite believing what had just happened. Ron had left. He had actually left her.

Ron ran. He didn't know where he was running to; he just knew he needed to get away. Knowing that he couldn't run out, he ran up. Ending in the attic, the first thing he did was punch a wall. Gasping, he tried to concentrate on the pain in his hand rather than the panic in his mind. He was going to be a father. There was no maybe or denying that fact. Everything added up. Collapsing against the wall, he choked back a sob.  
"Ron? What's going on?" Harry asked, appearing in the doorway.  
"Harry." Ron stated, quickly wiping away his tears. "Uh, nothing. Hermione...we-we had a fight again."  
"Oh. That is to be expected. She did destroy Ginny's and my relationship." Harry cleared his throat pointedly not looking at Ron's tear stained face. "Did you find out what's going on with her?"  
This was it. He had to tell Harry. What would Harry think about the fact that he had gotten Hermione pregnant? It wouldn't be good, especially considering they would be leaving on a very dangerous mission in a day or so.  
He couldn't do it.  
"Yeah. She has decided that she wants to go to Hogwarts rather than with us." He held up the Head Girl badge that he had grabbed from the table in McGonagall's office. He had intended to give it to Hermione as just a souvenir of her time at Hogwarts. Now, it looked like she would be using it after all. "She was just feeling guilty."  
Harry had an expression somewhere between hurt and shock. "Oh. Well that's understandable. She is all about school. It's not-" He broke off. "I understand. Are you still going?"  
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm going." Ron said firmly.


	19. Chapter 19

Not Betaed at All

* * *

After Ron had ran from the room she had stood in place, stunned. That had not just happened, had it? Her husband and the father of her unborn baby had not just run from the room, had he? What did it mean? Had he just left the room or had he left her? Walking over to the open door, she looked out, almost expecting to see Ron leaning against the wall outside. He wasn't, of course. Her breath began to get shallow and her heart pounded in her chest. She knew that she was starting to hyperventilate. Clutching the door frame tightly she closed her eyes and forced herself to get control. 

"Hermione?" A voice asked. Hands clutched her shoulders tightly and lowered her to a sitting position on the floor. Hermione opened her eyes and looked into Mrs. Weasley's worried face. Not trusting herself to speak, she shook her head. "What happened?"

"I…" She knew that she should tell her that she was pregnant. It wasn't like she could keep it a secret forever.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and helped her to stand. "Would you join me for some tea? You could help with lunch if you want to. I know that you have not eaten properly." Hermione nodded and followed her downstairs.

In the kitchen Mrs. Weasley put a kettle on to boil and put Hermione to work chopping vegetables for a salad. Briefly, Hermione wondered why she was having her do it without magic, but she found the repetitive, manual labor relaxing.

"So. Want to tell me what happened?" Mrs. Weasley asked after a long silence.

Hermione started and the knife slipped, almost cutting her. Carefully, she began to continue cutting the carrots in neat, thin slices. "Ron and I had a fight."

"What about?"

Hermione didn't speak, just added the carrots to a large bowel and got started on some cucumbers.

"Hermione…I know that I have not been the largest supporter of this marriage. I did—still do—wish that you had waited until you both were more mature, but…I have accepted the fact that you and my youngest son are married and nothing will change that fact." Mrs. Weasley paused and there was the sound of water being poured into cups. Hermione clutched the knife tighter and concentrated on the cucumbers. Nothing could change the fact that she and Ron were married? Yes, something could and it was currently growing in her uterus. "But despite my misgivings I want you to know that you can come to me any time and talk about anything."

Hermione set down the knife as she felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She would be glad when her hormones finally stabilized. "Thank you Mrs. Weasley. That means a lot. But…I'm afraid that you cannot help with this. It's something that…"

A cup of tea was set in front of her. "Ron is downright exasperating at times, isn't he?"

Hermione nodded and placed the last of the cucumbers in the bowl. "Yes. But this time he has a right to be." She paused and grabbed an onion. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, for making you think that Ginny…for everything."

"Don't worry about it dear. I'm the foolish one. How could I not think of checking her magic? That is the surest sign that a witch is pregnant." She sighed. "But with everything going on and her restricted from doing magic at home…"

"Why didn't you just believe her?"

"I don't know. I think… I'm not foolish enough to believe that she and Harry are just playing Gobstones when they are alone. But I always hoped that I had taught enough about safety and the proper charms…" She paused and cleared her throat. "I suppose that with the questions she was asking and having Harry living with us, I…I panicked. She's my baby and my only daughter. I know that I should have stopped and listened, but when you're told that your fifteen year old daughter is going to have a baby, all rationality goes out the door." Mrs. Weasley placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I would have reacted in a similar way if it were you and Ron."

Well that settled it. She definitely wouldn't be telling Mrs. Weasley any time soon. "I think it's ready for the dressing."

Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and a bottle rose up and poured a brown liquid on the chopped vegetables. "Anyway, give Ron some time. Whatever is going on between you two cannot possible my so bad. He'll come around."

Hermione nodded and took a sip of tea. "I hope so."

That night, long after everybody else had gone to bed, Ron finally appeared. He had missed lunch and dinner, relaying a message through Harry that he might have caught Hermione's cold. Hermione was already in bed reading a novel. She liked to think that it was just a really good book, but in truth she was waiting for him. She didn't know what to say. They needed to talk about it, decide what to do, how to tell everyone, logical things like that.

Ron quietly shut the door behind him and walked over to the dresser without even saying hello. Hermione set her book on the night table and watched him, determined not to be the first to speak. He quickly got changed and set his clothes on the desk chair. He approached the bed and Hermione moved over to give him room. Instead of climbing in, he grabbed the two quilts from the foot and made a makeshift bed on the floor. Climbing under the blankets, he waved his wand and extinguished the lamps in the room. Hermione shook her head.

"Ron stop being stupid and get into bed."

Silence.

"You don't know what's down there. There could be spiders."

Silence.

Shaking her head, she re-lighted a lamp. "Ron, we need to talk about this."

Silence.

"It's not going to go away if you ignore it. We need to face it—"

There was a snort from the pile of paisley blankets. "This coming from the girl who denied everything and thought that she just had the flu."

Hermione chose to ignore his comment. "We need to face facts and decide what to do."

"I've already decided. You'll be going to Hogwarts."

A tiny spark of happiness appeared in her chest at the thought of going back to her beloved school. It was quickly extinguished. "I'm not going back, Ron. I'm going with you and Harry."

The paisley blankets moved. "No, you're not. As you said, Hermione, we need to face this. You're magic is messed up. You couldn't even repair a chess piece. What would you do if you had to face a Death Eater? Cry it to death? No, you're either going to Hogwarts or staying here with Mum. Considering recent events, I'd choose school."

"I can't. They don't allow pregnant students, remember? Oh and there is the fact that my magic is messed up!"

"I've thought of that. I contacted Fred and George and asked for their old robes. I'll also get Harry's and you can have mine. You can adjust them to the proper length and they should be baggy enough to hide your…hide things. By the time they find out it will be too late. And you won't be sent home. You are McGonagall's pet, after all. As for not being able to do magic…I guess your grades will have to slip a bit. It might be good for you."

Hermione rolled over and stared at the shadows on the ceiling. This wasn't fair! "Ron…Look at what I've been through, what I've given up. For what? Because I made a promise to Harry that I would help him no matter what. I _need_ to go with you. Otherwise, I…it will have been for nothing."

There was a long silence. Finally, Ron spoke. "You're not going."

Hermione burrowed under the blankets and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her chest. There would be no changing his mind tonight. There was still one more question to ask though. "Do you still want to be married?"

"What? Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, we only got married so that I could go. Now that I'm not, there is no longer a need. And I'll be eighteen next month so I'll be legally an adult in the Muggle world."

Another long silence. There was rustling and his voice was muffled. "We're married. Nothing has changed that. "

Hermione tried to ignore the flat tone to his voice but failed. "Just checking." She reached over and grabbed her wand, extinguishing the lamp. She fell asleep, vowing to work on changing Ron's mind. Even if she didn't, she was still going with them. After all, she had made a promise and Ron was not her boss.

Unfortunately, Ron and Harry had other plans. To everyone's utter shock, during the night they had set off for the Horcrux hunt. She had not believed it at first. She had thought that Ron was avoiding her and Harry was with him. As the day went on however, it was clear that they had left without her. She hardly had time to process this, because everyone was demanding that she tell them where they had gone. She refused to tell them, it was not her place. All she said was that they had to do something Dumbledore wanted them to. Not even the arrival of Lupin or Tonks could make her tell. Besides, what could she tell them? She had no idea where they had gone. She suspected Godric's Hollow, but could not be sure. Over the next two weeks every single day the Weasley family and the Order tried to get Hermione to tell them where Harry and Ron had gone. She got sick and tired of telling them that she didn't know. They didn't believe her, of course. After what seemed like forever it was time to head for Hogwarts. As she stood outside the Hogwarts Express, she looked around Platform 9 ¾ but there was no sign of Ron or Harry. She had hoped that after a chance to think Ron would come back, but she hadn't expected anything.

The trip aboard the Hogwarts Express was uneventful. She chose a compartment that was mostly deserted. The only other occupant was Luna Lovegood. Luna read The Quibbler for most of the trip and then played with Crookshanks. Hermione slept most of the way, a bout of morning sickness exhausting her early in the trip. She was greatly relieved when the train pulled into the station.

Walking into the Great Hall she was instantly at ease. The towering walls and atmosphere of learning was where she was most comfortable. Quickly, she made a vow to make this a good term. If she was going to be stuck here, she would make the best of it. Nobody would know that she was married and expecting a child. They especially would not know that her newlywed husband had left her. Thankfully, the sorting ceremony and welcoming feast was enough excitement to make her forget things for a while. As she was leaving, McGonagall nodded to her and Hermione remembered that she was Head Girl. Groaning, she realized that she had missed some of her duties. She should have met with the prefects. Throwing McGonagall an apologetic look, she left the Great Hall.

Hermione was in her dorm putting a bowl of water and food down for Crookshanks when her roommates walked in. She stood and turned to address them when Parvati's eyes widened.

"Hermione what in the name of Merlin is on your finger?"

Hermione raised her hand and saw her wedding ring. "I…It's a ring. Why?"

"It's on your left hand ring finger!" Parvati told her, stepping up to her. "On your wedding finger. Are you married, Hermione?" Licking her lips, Hermione searched for a good lie. Apparently her silence was enough because Parvati squealed and grabbed her hand. "You are, aren't you? I knew it. There have been a ton of marriages lately but I never thought that you would be one of them!"

Lavender walked up to her and examined the ring over Parvati's shoulder. "Eh…Nice ring, I guess. Interesting design. Who's your husband?"

Hermione pulled her hand back and went over to her wardrobe. What was she supposed to say? If she told the truth, it would be all over school. She knew that Harry and Ron's absence was noticed and soon, just like the Weasley family and the Order members, people would begin to badger her with questions. No. She couldn't do it. Turning to her roommates, she smiled.

"This?" She pulled off the ring and tossed it into her trunk. "It's just a ring. No meaning except that it went with my Muggle clothes. You really need to stop jumping to conclusions."

Lavender and Parvati gave her looks and went over to their beds. Hermione picked up her wedding ring and placed it in a box in her trunk. She would not need it.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: First, I want to thank everyone who is staying with this story. I know that the updates are few with long periods of time inbetween, but I want to give everybody quality chapters. This fic is truly my baby, and I want to do right by it and by my readers.

Second, I know that this chapter is short, but I promise that the next chapter, already being written, will make up for it. ...I hope.

* * *

Hermione pulled the large bag off her shoulder and placed it on the edge of the tub. Turning on her favorite tap, the tub began to fill with delicate purple bubbles. The scent of chamomile and lavender filled the Prefects bathroom and Hermione inhaled deeply. Stripping off her robes and underclothes, she stepped into the hot water. The bubbles supported her weight briefly before allowing her to gently sink onto the bench. With a sigh she leaned back and tried to relax.

The last two months hadn't turned out how she had hoped. Most of her classes were going normally. History of Magic, Arithimancy, Ancient Runes, Potions and Herbology were alright. She read her books and took her exams. The real issue was with Charms and Transfiguration. The classes where she needed to use her magic were disasters. She couldn't perform any spell and everybody was noticing. Her professors at first had been alright with it, her previous grades letting her have a bit of leeway. After about the third week they had grown frustrated. They had publicly accused her of not studying and practicing. The final straw had been when during a pop exam she failed to transfigure a rabbit into a handbag. Professor McGonagall had given her a T and said that she was very disappointed. She had run from the room and not returned for two days.

Her schoolmates noticed Harry and Ron's absences right away. At fist there had been many questions, but eventually almost everyone had calmed down. Only a few still continued to bother her, the worst being Lavender Brown. At first Lavender had asked leading questions to see if she and Ron were dating. Hermione had given non committal answerers, annoying her roommate. Lately Lavender had taken to making snide comments, like that Harry and Ron had quit school to keep away from Hermione. The comments hurt, but they were nothing compared to what she would get if it was known that she was pregnant.

Grabbing her bath sponge from her bag, she squirted some soap into it and began to wash. Running the sponge over her torso, she paused and frowned. Taking a deep breath she quickly ran the sponge over her abdomen. A few weeks ago she noticed that it had begun to get bigger. She hated that her body was changing so much. Her breasts were bigger and her stomach was rounder. Setting down her sponge she got out of the tub. Walking over to the full length mirror, she hesitantly placed her hand on her belly. It felt like someone had stuck a small ball in her abdomen. She ran her fingers up and down it, almost mesmerized by the feel.

"Uh oh…What do we have here? Has the smart one gone and done something naughty?" A voice came from one of the toilets. Hermione gasped and spun around. Floating an inch above the toilet was a depressed looking teenage girl ghost. Hermione groaned and picked up her towel.

"Myrtle." She greeted, dropping the Moaning nickname.

"Hermione. You haven't cone to visit me in a long, long time." Moaning Myrtle said accusingly.

"I've been busy." Hermione replied, waving her wand at the tub. The water began to go down the drain.

"I can see that." Myrtle said eyeing her abdomen. Hermione shifted her towel uncomfortably. Walking over to her bag she pulled out her clothing and began to get dressed. "So who's the unlucky father?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just getting fat. Too many Treacle Tarts." Hermione said, pulling on her clothes. She turned away from the bothersome ghost and pulled on her bathrobe, fighting back tears. Stuffing her towel and toiletries into her bag she left the bathroom.

After making a quick patrol of her assigned floors, she made her way into the Gryffindor tower. The common room was deserted, the fire casting a soft glow. Climbing the stairs into the girls' dormitory she got into bed. For a moment she allowed herself to wonder how Harry and Ron were doing. The past two months she had not let herself think about them at all. It hurt too much.

She was just drifting off to sleep when she felt something strange. Lying very still, she waited. There it was again. A strange feeling in her belly; sort of a feather light feeling inside. With a shuddering gasp she realized what it was. The baby was moving. The thing she had been avoiding, ignoring, denying, was moving. It was really there, really alive.

Rolling over onto her side, the tears that had been threatening escaped. Crookshanks hopped up onto the bed and curled up against her. She felt the movement again and Crookshanks began to purr, setting a paw on her belly. Quietly Hermione sobbed and wished with all her heart that Ron was with her.

Ron rolled over in his sleeping bag and punched his jacket into a makeshift pillow. He had Harry were camping out in a field for the night until they get to the next town. He had never been more uncomfortable in his life. The problem was, the hard, cold ground wasn't what was keeping him awake. It was Hermione. He couldn't get his mind off of her. She was all that he thought about. Was she alright? Were her classes going well? How was the baby doing? She would be showing by now. Punching his jacket again and rolled over, this time into Harry.

"What?" Harry groaned.

"Nothing." Ron replied.

There was rustling and Harry move away. "Fine."

Ron sighed. "It's Hermione."

"I'm sure she's fine. After all, she's at Hogwarts where she wants to be." Harry stated with a lot of bitterness in his voice. Ron knew that Harry was deeply hurt that Hermione hadn't gone with them. Ron felt really bad and knew that it was time to come clean.

"That's the thing. She didn't want to go."

Harry sat up. "What? You told me…"

Ron sighed and sat up also. "She wanted to come but I wouldn't let her."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because she's pregnant."

Harry was silent for a long time. "Did you just say that Hermione's pregnant?"

"Yes."

"How…?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "You know how."

"And…it's yours? You're the father?"

"Yeah. I'm…the dad."

Harry started laughing. "You're really stupid, right?"

Ron started laughing with him, the hysteria barely being held at bay. Now that he had said it, it was real. It was actually real. He was going to be a father. He was—

—lying flat on the ground with a pain in his cheek. Harry was standing above him.

"You bastard! You got Hermione pregnant. She's pregnant, by you, and you left her. You left her when she needed you the most. You left her when she's going to have your baby." Harry shouted and Ron was afraid that he would punch him again.

"I…I c…I can't…" Ron stammered, sitting up and rubbing his cheek. "I can't do it."

"You have no choice." Harry replied with no trace of sympathy. He was looking at Ron with such a look of disgust that Ron had to look away.

"Mum always told me that there are always choices." He said petulantly.

Harry sat down next to him and began to roll up his sleeping bag. "You did have choices. You chose to get married. You chose to sleep with her without protection. Then you chose to run away." Harry tied up the bag and sat on it. "Now you can choose to go to Hogwarts on your own, or chose to have me stun you and take you there. But either way you are going to go back and be a father to your child."

"Harry…"

"Or you can choose to stay here, by yourself, and never speak to me again."

Ron stared at Harry in shock. He was right, of course. He needed to go back and be there for Hermione. It was the right thing to do. It was the adult thing to do.

It was time that he acted like an adult.

He climbed out of his sleeping back and began to roll it up. He tried to ignore his trembling hands.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I would first like to apologise for it being so long between chapters. I would like to thank those that have stuck around for their extraordinary patience. This fic means a lot to me and I definitely intend to finish it.

Second, I would like to thank my beta Disabled_Cloud_Flyer for betaing this chapter.

* * *

Hermione lay in her bed and listened to the gentle breathing of her dorm mates. Everyone was asleep because it was around three am. Even Crookshanks was fast asleep. Sighing, she reached under her pillow and pulled out her wedding ring. The simple gold band gleamed from the beam of moonlight coming through a crack in her curtains. She placed it around the top of her finger and slowly twirled it. As she studied the ring, she felt a deep, painful ache in her chest. She had been married less than half a year and it was a disaster. The last two months she and Ron had been separated. Even when they had been together they had not gotten along.  
Turning over, she clenched the ring in her fist so that she could no longer see it. A thought formed. A horrible thought that had come to her several times, but that she had banished. But it seemed like the only logical thing to do.

The next morning she walked into the common room, smothering a yawn. She had not slept the night before, plagued by unwelcome thoughts. The room was deserted except for a group of first and second years playing Exploding Snap in a corner. It was a Hogsmeade weekend and many of the students were away. Hermione had felt too exhausted to go. Heading for her favorite chair by the fireplace, she noticed that Ginny was curled up in one armchair reading a thick textbook. It was an odd sight, as her had never really seen Ginny studying before. She must be far behind in her school work to be missing a Hogsmeade trip. Ginny looked up as she approached and then continued to read.  
"Can I join you?" Hermione asked, trying to not sound too eager. Ginny would probably refuse, and Hermione wouldn't blame her.  
"It's your common room too." Ginny replied in an indifferent tone.  
Hermione sat down across from her. "What are you reading?"  
"History of Magic chapter." Ginny said in the same emotionless voice.  
"Oh. Interesting?"  
"No." Ginny closed her book and stared at her. "Why are you talking to me?"  
"Because…" She had avoided Ginny since the beginning of the year. She still hadn't been forgiven for the mistaken pregnancy and the resulting breaking up of Ginny and Harry. "Because…I'm incredibly sorry for what I did."  
"You're sorry?" Ginny snorted. "Great. Thanks."  
"You destroy my life and expect me to just forgive you? If that's true then you're not as clever as I thought." Ginny said and opened her book again.  
"Ginny please. I know what I did was unforgivable but…I really, really need a friend right now."  
She felt close to tears. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. She would not cry again. There had been too much of that in recent months.  
"What is it? Is it Harry and Ron? Did they contact you?"  
Hermione opened her eyes and saw that Ginny was now peering at her with slight worry. "Yes and no. Can…can we go to my room?"  
Ginny stared at her a moment longer and then nodded. "Alright." Hermione watched Ginny set her book on a table and get up. Without even waiting for Hermione, Ginny headed for the stairs. It was obvious that Ginny hadn't forgiven her in the slightest. Her concern about Harry and Ron was the only reason she was willing to talk. With a sigh, Hermione stood up from her own chair and followed Ginny.

Ginny was the only one in the room when Hermione entered and closed the door, placing a silencing charm around the door. She didn't want any eavesdroppers, just incase someone came back from the trip early. Hermione saw Ginny glance at her before she sat down on the edge of her bed. Hermione stood in front of her for a moment, chewing on her thumb nail, and then finally spoke.  
"Do…do you know what it would take to get…a divorce?" Hermione finally asked.  
Ginny looked at her confused. "A what?"  
"Maybe they go by a different term here in the Wizarding world. A divorce is a way to dissolve a marriage. To un-marry people."  
Ginny looked at her seriously. "No. Remember what I told you about the Amor Aveum spell. Once you are married you cannot be separated except by death. I told you how we regard marriage. Only people who are truly in love can do it. Otherwise the spell wouldn't work."  
Hermione sat down on the bed and held her head in her hands. She was stuck. Married to a man who didn't love her and stuck with a baby she didn't want. There was no changing that fact.  
"Hermione what's going on? Why do you want to get unmarried? Why did Ron leave you?"  
Ginny was looking at her with such worry and compassion that Hermione felt like she had to tell her the truth. Maybe she should. It would be one of few things that she could control.  
"Ron left me…" Hermione began her voice just above a whisper. "Because of something that he was afraid of."  
Her heart began to pound and she wiped sweat off her forehead. This was it. Now she could tell someone. But how would Ginny react? Would she leave like Ron did?  
With shaking hands, she undid the buttons on her robe. Pulling it back, she placed a hand on her belly.  
Ginny gasped and placed her hands over her mouth. "Merlin, Hermione! You're…you're—"  
"Pregnant. Five months."  
"So when you thought that I was, you were. You used me to hide—"  
"No." Hermione said in a firm voice, re-buttoning her robes. "No. I really did think that you were. But I think that deep down I was really trying to tell myself that I was."  
Ginny nodded. "And this is why Ron left, isn't it? That coward! I can't believe that he would do such a thing."  
"But he did. That's why I want a divorce. He won't be coming back to me. He made it pretty clear that he doesn't want me or the baby."  
"Well then he shouldn't have slept with you." Ginny stated. She looked at Hermione. "And you should have known better too. But, there's nothing you can do about it now. Done is done. Who else knows?"

"Nobody except for you, me, and Ron. Not even Professor McGonagall knows. If she finds out I'll be expelled."  
"But you're going to have it before school is over, right? You're due when? March, April?"  
Hermione nodded, panic beginning to build. What would she do? By then there would be no hiding it. Would she have it at school? Was Madame Pomfrey qualified to deliver babies?  
Ginny placed an arm around Hermione and hugged her. "We'll think of something. I promise. It will be alright."  
For a moment, Hermione believed her.

Ginny sat in the great hall wishing something would distract her from her friend's problems. Ever since Hermione had told her about the condition she was in, her thoughts had been centered on the pregnancy. After the shock had worn off, she had been very angry with her brother and best friend's sheer irresponsibility. After all, Hermione was supposed to be the smart one. But it was too late to be upset. Now she had to decide what she was going to do about this mess. A part of her, the part still furious with Hermione's meddling, wanted to run to McGonagall and inform her. She was sure that Hermione would be expelled. Then Hermione would know what it was like to have her life ruined. But the larger part of Ginny knew that telling on Hermione would be childish. Besides, Hermione's life was already pretty well ruined. Hermione had told her of Ron's plan, and agreed to help. But, she knew that when she saw her brother she would hurt him and it would be very, very, painful. How irresponsible could Ron be to not have used protective spells, how cruel could he have been to have run out on his responsibilities, how...how—she was pulled out of her reflections by the delivery of a letter. The address on it was from her father.

_Dear Ginny,  
Here is another letter for you. I picked it up and the Muggle post man kept staring at me. I'm not sure if I have the Muggle clothing right yet.  
I would like it if you would tell your Mum about this relationship. I do not like keeping this from her. She would never judge him being a Muggle, and she wants you to be happy.  
Dad  
_  
Ginny placed the letter on the table, and opened the letter from Joshua. She had set up a post office box at a shipping store so that she could continue to write to Joshua. Her father agreed to pick up the letters for her, and she had made his swear not to tell her mother. Her mother would never agree to the relationship. Not because he was a Muggle, but because of the events of this summer.

_Dear Ginny,  
How are you? I hope that school is going well. I am enjoying my senior year. Trigonometry is a bit difficult for me but I am managing. My Korean is my best class. I knew that I learned languages well since I passed French with a perfect grade. My dream of becoming an interpreter may happen yet.  
I miss you so much. I enjoyed our visits, no matter how brief they were. I care for you. I hope that we will be able to get together this Christmas break. My parents are eager to meet you. I know that that is a daunting prospect, but I think that you will get along. And we did grow very close.  
I would like to meet your parents. I know that you say that they are very eccentric, but that does not matter to me. I know that even if you are a bit embarrassed by them, you love them. And after all, they did raise you to be the extraordinary girl that you are.  
Yours,  
Joshua  
_  
Ginny sighed in utter happiness and folded the letter with great care. It would go into a special box in her trunk with his other letters. When Ginny came back to reality, she noticed that Hermione had taken over the potato bowl). The other students around them stared, stunned, as she poured syrup over the potatoes and took a large bite, smiling in contentment.  
"Hermione?" Ginny questioned, swallowing her disgust. As Hermione took another forkful of the food, Hermione looked from her food at the sound of her name and swallowed. Ginny shook her head, unable to remember what she was going to say, and turned to her own plate.  
"Letter from home?" Hermione asked. Ginny opened her mouth to respond, and then closed it again. For now she wanted to keep this private.  
"Yeah." She answered, tucking the letter into her book bag. She turned to speak to Hermione once again, but had to look away as Hermione began to place scrambled eggs into her porridge.  
_  
Dear Joshua,  
I am doing well.  
Actually I'm not. I found out that--_

Ginny paused and thought about telling him about Hermione. It wouldn't really matter, would it? After all, who would he tell, he was a Muggle. And she needed someone to talk to.

_--my best friend Hermione is pregnant. I told you about her, the really smart one seeing my brother? I can't believe it. I don't know what to do. She is so scared and my idiot brother is not standing by her or the baby .I tried comforting her and it seemed to help but I know that it really didn't. How could it? I have no idea what she is going through. I feel so helpless.  
My schooling is going well. I'm not getting perfect grades but I'm not failing either. I'm average. I'm sorry to hear about your Trigonometry—_

What is Trigonometry? Ginny wondered. She was always a bit confused and amused by Muggle classes.

_but I know that you will get by. You are very intelligent. I'm so happy for you that your Korean is working out. I know that you have wanted to be an interpreter since you were a child. I have not decided what I want to do after school.  
I would like to meet your parents if they want to meet me. However, my parents are going to be abroad this Christmas. I will be staying with relatives. I'll try to convince them to let me visit you but I'm not promising.  
I miss you too. I really wish that we were able to visit more but we go to school in different countries. I hope to see you this Christmas break. I really care for you too.  
Love,  
Ginny_

She folded the letter and placed it in an envelope addressed to her father.

_Dear Dad. Thank you very much for doing this for me. It really means a lot. Don't worry about Mum. If she complains I'll take care of it. I know that she wants me to be happy and wouldn't really care if I'm seeing a Muggle. _

_Ginny_

She placed the letter s in an envelope and went up to the owlry to mail it. She couldn't wait to his next letter. As she returned to the school she realized that she was really falling for him. She hadn't expected to. After all, she had just broken up with Harry when she met him. They had been a bit awkward at first, but then started to really get along well. She hoped that once she was on Christmas break, they would be able to get together.

His next letter came far sooner then she had expected.

_Dear Ginny,  
I am happy to hear that your classes are going well. Don't worry about my Trig. I'm got some tutoring and am doing better.  
I'm shocked to hear about your friend. I have no idea what to tell you. You say that your brother is not doing the honorable thing? Well I find that a bit hard to believe. From what you told me he is very honorable. However, from a male's perspective I can say that the idea of a child is daunting. While the idea of passing on ones genes is biologically strong in every male, when it  
comes right down to it is very scary. I thought about what I would do if it were us in this situation. I'll admit that the idea of running crossed my mind. The thought of being responsible for a tiny, helpless life is terrifying.  
All I can tell you is to be there for her no matter what. She is your best friend and would do the same for you.  
I am happy to hear that you would be willing to meet my parents. I'm sorry that your parents will be out of town, but there is always next summer. I would like to meet them, but I'll not push you. When you are ready is fine with me.  
Yours,  
Joshua_

Ginny folded the letter and placed it in her trunk with the others. His advice was good. She would have to be there for Hermione not matter what happened. She was her best friend. She may not have completely forgiven her, but Hermione's problems were greater than hers. Besides, if she and Harry had not broken up, she would not have been able to get together with Joshua.

The rain pounded against the windows of Hermione's dorm windows. It was morning, yet the light pouring through the windows was dim. As she stared out at the rain soaked grounds, she knew that it was time to get things done, unpleasant as they were. Sighing, she stared at the pile of robes on her bed. They belonged to Fred. Ron had taken them for her. Biting her lip, she cast a charm on them so that the ends were hemmed to her height. Her robes were now too tight. People would begin to notice that she had a belly and ask questions. Her dorm mates were  
already awake and probably in the Great Hall for breakfast so she was safe.  
Pulling off her nightgown, Hermione grabbed her underclothes from out of her trunk.  
Wincing, she realized that she would have to use another enlargement charm on them soon. She was just reaching for her robes, when Lavender came barging into the dorm with an annoyed look on her face, muttering something about forgetting her lip gloss. Hermione froze in horror, her belly uncovered and out in the open for Lavender to see.  
"Hermione what in the name of Merlin…?"  
Hermione licked her lips. "Lavender. It…its nothing. I-It got in the way of an enlargement charm and…it'll go down soon."  
Lavender smiled slyly. "Yeah. In…about four months I'd say. Maybe less."  
Hermione closed her eyes. This was not happening. This couldn't be happening. Hadn't she been through enough? When would it stop!

"I…you're wrong." She grabbed her robes and pulled them on. She had to get out of there. She had to get away. Away from Lavender's accusing and smug look. Away from her true  
accusations. Just…away.  
Lavender grabbed her arm. "You're pregnant, Hermione, aren't you? I knew that there was something going on. Perfect little Hermione Granger all of a sudden becomes the worst student? This is perfect!"  
Hermione snatched her arm away and picked up her bag. "It's not true."

Hermione raced down the stairs, struggling to keep balance. The larger her belly got the harder it was. She had pretty much adjusted to the change, but stairs were still a problem. Ignoring Lavender's footsteps following hers, she entered the common room intent on going down to breakfast. Unfortunately she was too late. By the time she reached the portrait hole people were already filing in.  
"Petrificus Totalus!" A voice called. Hermione couldn't move. People gathered around the two to see what was going on. Trying to will herself to move was completely impossible. It did no good. She was locked in place and at Lavender's mercy. There would be no mercy. She knew it. Lavender hated her. She still thought that Ron had cheated on her with Hermione.  
"What's going on?" Parvati Patil asked, coming to stand next to her best friend. "Why did you do that?"  
"Because of this." Lavender waved her wand and Hermione's robes were pulled tight against her body. Parvati's hands flew up to her face and he giggled.

"No…"  
Around her, people began to mutter among themselves. Pointing at her. A few laughed.  
Lavender grinned maliciously. "I just found out that Hermione here went and got herself pregnant."  
"Leave her alone." Neville Longbottom cried, pushing his way to the front of the crowd.  
Lavender ignored him. "I wonder who the father is…or do you even know? It's always the quiet ones." She explained to Parvati.  
Parvati looked a little uncomfortable now. "Why don't you unfreeze her now? Let her explain."  
Lavender ignored her. "I mean, all these years she has judged us. Acted better than everybody at this school. We were too dumb or too into sports. Too into our looks, and too boy crazy." Lavender walked around Hermione, pacing, her wand constantly pointed at her. In her mind, Hermione tried to cast spells, tried to get the wand out of Lavender's hands, but it was useless. Silently, she cursed Lavender with everything she had. Lavender continued to speak. "I saw the looks you gave us. In our dorm when we were trying different makeup or hairstyles. You would be there with your nose in a book acting better than us. But all this time what she really was is a boyfriend stealing tramp!"  
Hermione's eyes burned and tears fell down her cheeks. Was this really what everybody thought she was like? It was so very untrue. She had always liked all of her fellow house mates. Other houses too. But it must be true. Nobody but Neville was coming to her aid. Where was Ginny?  
"Lavender…" Parvati said quietly. "I think everybody gets the idea…"  
"So who is it Hermione? Harry Potter? I notice he isn't here? You and your bastard child scare him off? Or is it someone from the Quidditch team? I know how much you love the players." She waved her wand and Hermione was able to move again. "Well? Answer me. Or do you even know?"  
Hermione let out a sob and looked around at her house mates. Some were looking at her in disgust and whispering to their friends. Neville came up to her and put his arms around her.  
"Are you alright, Hermione?"  
Hermione sniffed and nodded. She looked at Lavender. "I do know who the father is. It's Ron."  
Lavender's mouth fell open. She looked stunned. Hermione took a tiny bit of pleasure in shocking the girl. "Ron?"  
"Yes, Ron. We began to date in June. The rest of it is none of your business." There was no way that she was going to reveal that she was married. Having her husband leave her was a lot worse than a boyfriend. She took a few steps up to her dorm mate. "And if you ever, ever do that to me again, or cast any spell on me, I will curse you. You know that I know how."  
Without looking back, she headed upstairs. Absently, she rubbed her belly. What had that done to her baby? Had it been hurt in any way? A faint kick answered her question. It was fine. Her reputation wasn't though. The next day as she headed to Transfiguration she was bumped into by some third year Hufflepuffs, spilling the contents of her bag across the hall. Instead of apologizing, they called her a name and walked away. Hermione knelt down to pick up her things, only to have someone step on her textbook.  
"Oh, so sorry Granger." Malfoy sneered and walked away, Crabbe and Goyle snickering in his wake. Hermione gathered her things and headed away from the class room. It didn't matter if she went anyway. She couldn't perform the spells. During lunch that day she was handed a note from Neville. With a feeling of dread, she opened it and read.

_Mrs. Granger-Weasley. Please come to my office as soon as you get this.  
Password is Midterm  
Professor Minerva McGonagall_

As she stood outside the office door, she Hermione entered the Headmistresses office to find that the headmistress was waiting, already seated, at the desk. She gestured for Hermione to sit in one of the stiff, high-backed, wooden chairs. Hermione did so without speaking. Mistress McGonagall shifted some papers into a neat pile, and then looked at her.  
"Is this about my grades, Professor?"  
"No, it is not." McGonagall pursed her lips. Hermione resisted the urge to squirm. McGonagall's gaze had always made her a bit uncomfortable. She was her favorite professor, but she was intimidating at times. "How long have you known?" McGonagall asked. She was looking at Hermione with a look of utter disappointment. Hermione had only been looked at like that once before in her life. That had been when she had told them that she was married.

Her insides grew cold. The day had to come. She had hoped that it would be much, much later. She considered playing dumb, but until recently had never been a dumb person.  
"I have known three months but I am five months along, Professor." She  
whispered.  
McGonagall didn't even flinch. "I seem to remember telling you, telling the whole Weasley family, that I would not allow a pregnant student to attend Hogwarts. Do you remember this conversation, Mrs. Granger-Weasley?"  
"Yes, Professor." Hermione answered in a hollow voice.  
"And yet you decided, knowing that you were pregnant, to attend anyway. You chose to hide this very important fact from me, from your other professors, and from your classmates. Am I correct in saying that all of this is true?"  
"Yes, Professor."  
McGonagall surveyed the papers in front of her. "Am I also correct in assuming that the father is Ronald Weasley?"  
"Yes, Professor."  
McGonagall nodded. "I should tell you to pack your things and send you home."

Should? Did this mean that she wasn't going to? Maybe there was hope after all.

"However, after thinking about the issue, I have come to the conclusion that I may have been a bit hasty in my decision about pregnant students."

Behind her Hermione heard Nigellus's portrait give a sound of disapproval.

"So you be allowed to remain at Hogwarts. However, for your deceit I must give you some punishment. I suppose cleaning the trophy room is out of the question, as are trips into the forbidden forest with Hagrid. So, I have decided that you are no longer to be Head Girl." She held out her hand for the badge. Hermione had no problem giving it to her. All that mattered was that she be allowed to stay. She could continue her lessons and graduate." Now, some allowances must be made for your condition. As I said this summer, pregnant witches are unable to do most magic. This has, and will continue to be, a problem. So, even though you will continue to attend your lessons, you will probably have to repeat your seventh year."  
Repeat her seventh year? That did make sense. Even if she did the book learning, the practical applications of the spells couldn't be done. But she would never live it down. She would be teased even more than before. "I understand, Professor."  
A look of pity and compassion entered McGonagall's eyes. "I am sorry, Mrs. Granger-Weasley. It is unavoidable though. Have you made arrangements for the care of your baby after it is born? You are due when? March? April?" Hermione nodded. "Does Molly know?"  
"No, Ma'am. Nobody…well nobody knew until…"  
"Well I advise you to tell her. She will not take it very well, but I think that you need someone older and who has gone though this." McGonagall cleared her throat and was back to her normal, distant self. "I have informed Madam Pomfrey. She is expecting you in the hospital wing for an examination. I think it is safe to assume you have not seen anyone. You are dismissed."  
Hermione stood and exited the office feeling conflicted. On one hand she was ecstatic to be able to stay at her beloved school. On the other, she would have to repeat her year and endure everyone's teasing. She realized with a stab of shock that a part of her had been counting on going home. She wouldn't have to tolerate her classmates or endure lessons that she couldn't perform very well. She would be able to talk to Mrs. Weasley about what was happening to her. But no. None of that would happen. She thought about turning back and telling McGonagall that she wanted to leave and would come back the next year. But deep down she knew that she wouldn't, she couldn't, do that. She had never given up on anything before and wouldn't start now. She would make it through this year no matter what.


	22. Chapter 22

Hermione left the hospital wing after her appointment and headed for the Gryffindor common room. She didn't feel like going to the last of her classes. This worried her, but she figured that this one time she could get away with it.

The appointment had gone well. Madame Pomfrey said that the pregnancy was progressing as it should. She told Hermione that she did have limited knowledge on pregnancies, but she would continue to keep an eye on things. Hermione was to stop in for weekly appointments.

The fact that he baby was healthy and growing well was a relief, but not completely. Her reputation was ruined. Word had spread like poison, and everyone had an opinion…most of them were negative. Even Madame Pomfrey had shown displeasure. The nurse had tried to hide it, but had failed.

Entering the common room, she was relieved to find it mostly empty. Some fifth years were in a corner with their stack of pre-OWL homework during their free period. She smiled at them but they threw her a look of disgust. She sighed and sat down in a chair. Pulling out her Ancient Runes textbook, she began to read.

She liked this class. It was everything that she believed it. It took thought, pure intellect to do. There was no waving of her wand, no luck, just smarts. Plus, she didn't have to worry about her ability to do it fading during the pregnancy.

She became completely involved in her homework. She went to that place where intellect ruled and nothing else mattered. She heard her housemates entering but didn't pay them any attention. I grew loud as people came in after their last class and began to socialize. It was raining, so they did not have the option of being outside.

Unsure of how much time had passed; Hermione became aware that the room had grown quiet. She looked up and saw that everyone was gone. Guessing that they had gone down to dinner, she began to put her items away to go join them. She got up and then sat back down. Going down and facing the whole school was not an appealing idea. Yes, she was hungry, but having to face her classmates? Their stares, their whispers… That was not something she wanted. She had encountered enough of that in her fourth year when people thought that she had dumped Harry for Victor Krum.

Sitting back down, she pulled another textbook out of her bag. If she concentrated on her homework, the hunger would pass. She began starting a History of Magic essay when she felt someone standing in front of her. She looked up and saw Neville there, holding a small bundle.

"Neville? Is there something that I can help you with?" She asked.

He handed her the bundle. It was warm and the delicious smell of food came from it.

"I noticed that you did not come to dinner, so I brought it to you." He said hesitantly.

She opened it and found a couple of legs of roasted chicken, fresh baked bread topped with butter, and a treacle tart. She smiled at him, grateful.

"Thank you, Neville."

"Well you need to eat, and…I wanted to apologize to you." He sat down on a sofa.

"Apologize? For what?"

"When Lavender attacked you, I didn't do enough to stop her. I should have. What she did was wrong and—"

"Neville, stop. You have nothing to apologize for. The fact that you were there and protested is enough. You have no idea how much it means to me."

Neville nodded shyly. Hermione realized that this was the first real conversation when had had with him. They were in the same house and year, but did not hang out as friends. She wondered why. Neville was very nice.

He motioned to her belly. "Does that hurt?"

Hermione smiled. "Not really. Some minor things but they are normal."

"Oh. Does Ron know?"

Hermione was silent for several long moments. She knew that Neville's question was innocent. He did not know the truth behind everything…nobody did. It still hit a very raw nerve though.

"Yes, Neville, Ron is very much aware of the situation."

"Oh."

She could tell that he wanted to say more, but was too polite to do so. She wasn't sure if she appreciated it or was annoyed by it.

Neville shifted awkwardly on the sofa but didn't say anything. Hermione took the opportunity to eat a chicken leg and a slice of bread.

"If there is anything that I can do to help…I will." He told her shyly.

"Thank you, Neville. That means a lot."

It did mean a lot. Now she had two people on her side at the school. Considering how many students there were it was not much, but to her it was important. She was not completely alone in this situation.

Neville went off to do his homework and Hermione curled up with her essay. After a while people began to return from dinner, and the common room became loud. She tried to ignore them but occasionally she heard her name whispered. She simply bit her lip and resolutely did not look up from her homework. After all, she still had four months of this to deal with.

She was starting her second roll of parchment when she noticed that the room had suddenly become quiet. Looking up, she suddenly felt her insides grow cold. Climbing through the portrait hole was Harry.

All of the Gryffindors in the common room were staring at Harry, looks of confusion on their faces. Harry looked around and ran a hand through his messy hair. Hermione's textbook and scroll fell off of her lap as she stood up. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be far away looking for horcruxes. Had something happened to Ron? That had to be the only reason why he would be here.

Instinctively, she placed her hands on her belly. She stepped over her homework and approached Harry. Several times she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. Her mind was working overtime coming up with different situations that could have happened. Death Eaters? Wild animal?

Harry spotted her and his eyes traveled over her body before landing on her belly. He cleared his throat. "Hermione…"

"Harry, what…" She managed to say, her voice soft and dry. She was aware that her housemates were watching this with great interest. Ginny had come downstairs and immediately went to Hermione's side. She was grateful for her friend's presence.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked carefully.

Harry's eyes once again looked at Hermione's belly and then he turned to the portrait hole. Hermione's eyes followed and she saw Ron entering the common room. He stopped next to Harry and looked around nervously.

"Hermione. Ginny." He said, his ears bright red. He looked around at everyone watching and cleared his throat.

"Isn't this nice?" Lavender said, coming to the front of the group of onlookers. "A family reunion." She sneered, emphasizing the word family.

Ron's eyes flew to Hermione's belly and he visibly paled. "Whoa…"

Hermione clenched her hands so hard against her body she felt mild pain. Beneath them the baby was moving and kicking, as though sensing her distress. Her hands were sweating and her heart was pounding wildly. Her mind, however, was quickly becoming blank. It was almost as though her emotions were so overwhelming that her mind couldn't take it.

"What's the matter, Ron? Didn't know? I knew it! She's—" Lavender started.

"Lavender, shut up." Ron growled. He set down his bag and reached out a hand to Hermione. It barely touched her, and she pulled away.

"Don't touch me." She said harshly. The numbness briefly gave way to fury. "Don't you dare touch me."

Ignoring the fact that she was making a scene that would definitely be gossiped all over the castle the next day; she pushed past Harry and Ron and out of the common room. She practically ran down several hallways until she found an empty classroom. She collapsed onto a chair and placed her head in her hands.

Ron was back. This was something that she had not anticipated at all. He was not supposed to be here. Not now, not when she was already dealing with more than she could take.

Why was he back? That was the real question. Had they already found all of the horcruxes? No…they couldn't have. Voldemort was still alive.

The door to the classroom opened and she heard footsteps. She tensed and turned around. Ron and Ginny were entering the room. Hermione stood up and leaned against the desk.

He cleared his throat and turned to Ginny. "Can we have some privacy please?"

Ginny crossed her arms and walked over to Hermione. "Do you want me to go?"

Hermione shook he head, not speaking. She didn't trust herself to speak. Her emotions were churning inside and she wasn't sure what would happen. The strongest actions of breaking down into tears and cursing him were first.

"Then no, Ron, I'm not leaving. Think I trust you with her? Although I don't know what else you could do. Merlin, Ron, you got her pregnant! How could you? I know that Dad talked to you about protection charms! What—"

"Enough, Ginny. This is none of your business."

"She made it my business"

Ron turned his attention from his sister to Hermione. "Hermione, I—" He broke off and shook his head. "Wow you're big."

Fury was getting bigger inside her mind. "That's what happens, Ron, when you have a baby growing inside of you." She explained, her voice calm.

"Yeah, I guess so." He shifted his stance and cleared his throat. "Look, I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

The fury completely took over and broke. "You're sorry? Sorry. How dare you!" She pushed away from the desk and pulled out her wand, pointing it at him. "You get me pregnant. Pregnant, Ronald. Then you, you leave. You leave me and I have to come here and deal and everyone knows. They know about it and I cannot hide it and they talk, and whisper, and stare, and call me names, and think that I'm a big whore." Tears were streaming down her face but she didn't bother to wipe them away. "And they do all of this, and is my husband here to tell them the truth, to defend me? No! He left me, too scared to deal with the truth. He left, deciding for me what I was going to do, he left, treating me not as the mother of his child, but as though I was a child." She took a deep breath. "And then you come back and say that you are sorry. Sorry. Well this time, Ronald, sorry is nowhere near enough."

Ron was staring at her, his mouth open. "Hermione, I am sorry, I—please tell me what I can do."

She lowered her wand. "You can leave me alone. I never want to talk to you again."

"But…we are married." He protested.

Hermione gave a bitter laugh and walked out of the room. Ginny followed her.

"You did well. I would have hexed him." Ginny said.

Hermione ignored her. She realized that she had not even bothered to find out why he was back, and what had happened. She made a mental note to talk to Harry about what had happened. Not tonight though. Tonight she just wanted to crawl into bed, pull the hangings, and shut out the world.

After making sure that Hermione was in her room and left alone, Ginny found herself unable to sleep and went down to the common room. Harry was sitting on the sofa staring into the fire. Ginny carefully approached the sofa until he looked up. She crossed her arms.

"Hello, Harry."

Harry sighed. "Hello, Ginny. I guess we should talk."

Ginny stared at him for a few long moments. They should talk. Things between them had been left up in the air. She had not spoken to him and then he had just left without saying goodbye. She sat down next to him on the sofa. "We should."

"I want to apologize to you. I…the way that I acted was horribly wrong." Harry began.

"It was." Ginny agreed. Then she took a deep breath. What she was about to say was difficult to say. A large part of her still thought of herself as the only injured person in the whole issue. But she knew that if she was going to make peace, then she had to compromise. "I can, however, see where your line of thinking came from. I did, after all, want to have your child."

Harry nodded. "It did come out of nowhere, and then getting that letter from Hermione…" He took a deep breath, his face reddening as though he were reliving the moment. "Anyway, I should have believed you."

Ginny nodded. "It hurt me more than you will ever know that you didn't. I never gave you any reason in the past to believe that I would do such a thing."

Harry shook his head. "No, you never did."

Ginny looked back at the staircase that led to the girl's dorms. "It's no use going back over this." She began, saying what came into her mind. "What happened, happened. What we need to do now is focus on Hermione and Ron. They need us."

Harry leaned back against the sofa. "I had to force Ron to come back. He wasn't going to."

"Come back from where? Where were you two?"

"Never mind that. The point is he wasn't going to come back. He was—is—too scared. I'm not sure if he can do this."

"He has to." Ginny said resolutely.

"Yes, he does."

"The hard part will be getting Hermione to even speak to him. She doesn't want to." Not that Ginny really blamed her. What Ron had done was unforgiveable. Ginny was so mad at her brother that it was a physical feeling. She wanted to hex him. She wanted to punch him. He had not been raised to walk out on family.

"She has to. They both have to think about the baby." Harry said firmly.

"Yeah. Well you work on Ron, and I'll work on Hermione." Ginny said. She started to get up from the sofa but Harry grabbed her hand.

"Ginny…" He began. Ginny bit her lip and pulled her hand away.

"I'm over you, Harry. I've moved on." She told him.

But she found as she was walking up the stairs that deep down her statement was wrong. That she was not over Harry, not at all.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: A huge thanks to my beta lookimacloud for the patience that has been shown with this story, and for beting this chapter!

* * *

Ginny sat on a bench in one of the courtyards, just under a building overhang writing a letter. Rain was coming down hard, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be outside and away from everything that was going on in the castle. She didn't care that small droplets spotted the parchment, making some of her carefully printed letters run. All she wanted was a small break from the drama caused by Ron and Hermione.

It had been three days since Harry and Ron returned. During that time Harry had disappeared to the library for some reason unknown to Ginny, and Ron just kept trying to speak to Hermione. Ginny had tried to get Hermione to talk to Ron, with no luck.

_Dear Joshua,_

_I have big news. My brother returned from wherever it was he went. I'm very conflicted about this. On the one hand, I'm happy that he has returned. I was worried about where he went, and I was upset on behalf of Hermione. My family is very close, and family comes first above all else. I'm happy that he is here now, and he wishes to take responsibility for his child._

_On the other hand, I'm very upset that he has returned. He had to be forced to come back. I'm upset that _he_ is causing my best friend such emotional grief._

Looking up from her letter to think of what to write next, she saw Hermione across the courtyard. Hermione had her backpack over her shoulder, and Ginny knew that it was full of books. Since her magic was not working, the only thing that Hermione could do was study her books and write her assigned essays. Because of this, Hermione was spending all of her time writing long, detailed essays in the hope that it might elevate her grades.

Hermione was so focused on wherever she was going to study, that she failed to notice Ron run up behind her and grab her arm. Ginny sighed and shook her head. Hopefully they would not notice her. After all, she had come outside to escape them. Ginny wished that she could smack Ron. This was not the way to get Hermione to speak to him. Ron said something, his face intense with emotion. Hermione just glared at him and pulled her arm out of his grasp. She then turned and walked away without a backwards glance.

Ron stood in place and stared after Hermione for a few moments before spotting Ginny. Ginny rolled her eyes and folded her letter, placing it and the book she was writing on into her bag. She should have known that she could not escape things, even for an hour or so.

"What is wrong with her?" Ron demanded once he reached her, crossing his arms and scowling at Ginny.

"Were you not listening to her last night?" Ginny replied, moving over so that he brother could sit next to her.

"Well yeah. I just thought that she would change her mind after a few days."

Ginny sighed and stood. She then raised her hand and proceeded to smack him several times over the head. "Change her mind after a few days? Ron, are you mental?"

"Hey stop it!" Ron cried, trying to fend off her blows. Ginny stopped and glared. Their actions had drawn the attention of several of their schoolmates, who were exiting the building, so Ginny grabbed her bag and Ron's arm, and pulled him out into the rain. She stopped under a tree that provided some protective cover.

"You are mental, aren't you? Otherwise you would not be in this situation. I swear, I should write Mum and let her know—"

Ron held up a finger and pointed it at her. "Don't you dare! Mum is not to know any of this."

Ginny crossed her arms. "She's going to know sometime, Ron. What are you going to do when you go home for the summer with a baby? Or better yet, what are you going to do when we go home for winter break with Hermione having a belly like that?"

Ron nodded. "I know but…just don't tell her, ok?"

Ginny frowned but didn't agree to anything. She was very conflicted. It was one thing to tell Joshua about the situation. It was another to tell her Mum. In a way, it would be doing the same thing that Harry had done to her.

"I don't know what to do Ginny. I apologized and it has done no good."

Ginny pull her book bag over her shoulder. "Actions speak louder than words, Ron. Show her that you are sorry and that you intend to be a father."

Ron nodded, wondering how he was going to do that.

The next day was a Hogsmeade trip. Ron wanted to go because he hoped to find something for Hermione there. He didn't want to go alone, however, so decided to ask Harry to accompany him.

Harry was, as usual, in the library. It amused Ron that this was the most time Harry had ever spent in the library in their six years of school, and he was not even getting graded. Ron found Harry in the very back of the library surrounded by stacks of books. Ron sat down in a chair across from him.

"Any luck finding any information?" Ron asked.

"No, nothing yet." Harry answered, setting aside the book he had been looking through. Next to Harry was a piece of parchment. Ron read it, hoping to show Harry that he was interested in the research.

_Riddle's Diary_

_Marvolo's Ring_

_Hufflepuff's Cup_

_Slytherin's Locket_

_Ravenclaw's ?_

_Nagini_

"Well if you'd let me help you, it might go faster." Ron added with a note of bitterness in his voice. From the moment they had arrived back at Hogwarts, Harry had refused all of Ron's help. It upset him because he knew how important Harry's research was.

Harry crossed his arms. "No, your job here is to fix things with Hermione. When you have, then you can help me."

Ron sighed. "Well I need your help for that. I want to go into Hogsmeade and get her something."

"And you can't go alone?"

"You know I'm not good at this kind of stuff. I can't even get her to speak to me."

Harry nodded. "Alright. I can use a break."

After Ron and Harry grabbed their warm clothing from the dorm, they made their way down the long, winding path to the town. Ron stood in the middle of the road and surveyed the different shops.

"Ginny said that I needed to show Hermione that I intend to be a father. Any suggestions on how I could do that?" Ron replied. Maybe some chocolates from Honeydukes? Women liked chocolate. But that might not be a good idea right now. He had no idea if she was having an aversion to chocolate due to the pregnancy, and making her throw up would not be a good thing. So food was out. Perhaps a nice new quill for her to do her homework with? No. Ginny had said that it needed to be something to show Hermione that he was ready to be a father. The problem was, that he wasn't ready to be a father. The only reason he was back was because of Harry, and it was bad luck that Hermione had found that out. Yes, Ron wanted Hermione to speak to him. He loved her and it was terrible that she refused to even be in his presence. But he was not ready for the baby, and she was having one.

Ron and Harry walked through the town, looking at shop after shop, when Harry stopped in front of a store and looked at Ron. "I have an idea."

Ron looked at the hanging sign. Elsie's Baby Emporium. Looking at the colorful window display, he shook his head. "No, no."

Harry grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him inside.

The store was divided into two sections. On the left was baby furniture and clothing, and on the right was food, diapers, and other necessities. The walls were painted in miniature paintings. One showed a farm with animals that were done with over exaggerated features. They had big eyes and smiles that Ron was sure that no real animal ever had. Another painting portrayed fairy tale characters, and yet another with rainbows, butterflies, and horses. Ron looked at a sign beneath the paintings, and saw that you could hire the artist to paint your baby's nursery in the selected scene. He did not like any of them.

Looking around him, Ron was bombarded by bottles, cribs, diapers, rockers; everything a baby would need and more. He felt his hands grow sweaty and his heart began to race.

"Why are we here, Harry?"

Harry picked up a blanket. "We are here to get you something for Hermione."

Ron frowned at a selection of bottles. "Yes, something for Hermione, not the…the baby."

Harry moved on to an array of pacifiers. Apparently the parent could make them flavored with a simple charm. "If it is for the baby, then it is for Hermione. That is what Ginny meant. To show that you are ready to be a father, you need to get something for the baby."

Ron sighed. He didn't want to get something for the baby. He didn't want to think about the baby at all.

"Are you sure that she wouldn't want flowers or chocolates? A new book? Hermione loves books."

Harry shook his head and turned to look at him. "Ron, you have to stop thinking about Hermione as just Hermione. It's Hermione and the baby. The baby is at the center of all of this. Once you accept the baby, your baby, then you will get Hermione back. Now come on."

He and Harry walked to the baby furniture and looked at the selection of bassinets. He examined a bright red one. _'Just wave your wand and this crib rocks itself! It also comes with three different songs to lull your child into dream land.' _He looked at the price. It was more than his father made in six months. Looking at different bassinets and cribs, he saw that the prices were around the same. Moving on to changing tables and other pieces of furniture, Ron felt dread creeping up on him. How was he supposed to afford things like this? His parents could not even afford them.

He moved on to the baby clothing section. He picked up a set of robes for a newborn. "It's so tiny, Harry." He said.

Harry looked at the outfit. "That's because the only size babies come in is tiny, Ron."

"Yeah but…"

"Don't you remember when Ginny was a baby?"

"No, I was one year old. I've never seen a baby before." He told Harry, putting down the robes and picking up a pair of gloves. They only went over the tips of three of his fingers.

"Well that is going to change." Harry replied.

Ron put down the gloves and picked up a pair of black robes. On the chest was a small Hogwarts badge. There was a matching hat that came separately.

"What do you think?" Ron asked Harry.

Harry looked at them close. "They're ok. And they show that you are thinking about the future."

Ron grabbed the robes and hat and headed for the register.

The woman at the register looked at the robes and gave a smile. "Nice choice. Are they for your little brother or sister?"

Ron shook he head and felt his ears heat up. "Um, no actually. They are for my…my son or d-daughter."

The woman's smile dimmed. "Oh. Well they are still a fine choice. We are the only store that carries Hogwarts clothing for infants. Now that will be three Galleons."

Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out his money. He didn't have three galleons. Clearing his throat, he looked at the woman. The smile had disappeared and she was frowning.

"Uh, how much for just the hat?"

"One galleon."

Ron handed her the money and she placed the hat in a bag. "Thank you for shopping at Elsie's Baby Emporium. Please consider us for all of your future baby needs."

Ron took the bag and left the shop, Harry following behind not saying a word.

They walked in silence for a few moments, Ron clutching the bag. A hat. All he had been able to afford was a hat. It had cost him his entire term's allowance. How was he going to afford a baby?

He kicked a pebble and stood still, watching it roll down the road.

Harry stopped next to him and sighed. "Want to get a butterbeer?"

"You know I can't afford it now."

"I'll buy."

Ron shook his head, starting towards the castle. He didn't want Harry's charity. He wanted to be able to do things on his own.

Ron hated to admit it, but as much as he loved his family, sometimes he wished that he had been born into a different one, a better one.

That afternoon Ginny sat in the common room and tried to finish her letter. Hermione sat next to her on the sofa working on an essay. Now that Ron and Harry were back, Hermione didn't go any further than the Gryffindor common room, unless it was for a class or food. Ginny couldn't blame Hermione. Earlier, Ginny had heard a Hufflepuff telling a friend that Ron and Hermione's fighting was better entertainment than her mother's daily radio dramas.

_So that is my life right now. _

Ginny wrote.

_I study and try to help my friend. What is going on in your life? I imagine that it is a lot less complicated. I am now looking forward even more_, _to visiting you and your parents next month. It will be a nice break from everything that is going on._

_Love,_

_Ginny_

Ginny folded the letter and frowned at her homework. It had not done itself as she had hoped it would. She grabbed her History of Magic book and began reading.

Ginny was halfway through her essay on Goblin Rebellion #4, 352, when she was distracted by Hermione's sudden movements. Hermione stood up from the sofa and made a frantic grab for her books. Ginny looked around the room and saw Ron and Harry coming through the portrait hole. Hermione was obviously trying to escape up the girl's staircase where Ron could not follow. It didn't work.

"Hermione, wait." Ron cried, running up to her and grabbing her shoulder. "I got something for you. Well, not you, but for the…the baby."

He handed her a paper bag. Hermione took the bag and with an emotionless look opened it. She pulled out a tiny black hat.

"It's a Hogwarts's hat." He told her.

Hermione looked at the hat, then at Ron. Still expressionless, she took the hat and tossed it onto a nearby table. Turning, she went up the staircase to the dorms.

Ron stared after her and then walked over to the table. He picked up the hat and stared at it. Turning, he clenched the hat in his hands and went up to the boy's dorm.

Ginny gave Harry a long look and stood. She thought that Ron's gesture was perfect and heartfelt. What Hermione had done was unacceptable.

Marching up to the girl's dorm, Ginny entered Hermione's room without knocking. Lavender was inside trying a new hairstyle in the mirror.

"I need to speak with Hermione in private." Ginny said.

Lavender crossed her arms and stared at Ginny in the mirror. "It's my room too."

"Out, before I hex you." Ginny ordered.

Lavender gave an indignant cry and stormed out of the room.

Ginny walked over to where Hermione was laying on her bed. She placed her hands on her hips. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm pregnant, Ginny. What's wrong with you?" Hermione replied, her voice without expression.

"Why did you throw that hat away? It was—"

"It was from Ron, and I don't want anything from him."

Ginny shook her head. "He's trying, Hermione."

"I don't want him to try. And whose side are you on anyway?"

"I'm on the baby's side."

Hermione shook her head. "I…I can't. I just can't, Ginny."

Ginny sat down on the bed next to Hermione. "I know that what he did was horrible—"

"Horrible is too weak of a word."

Ginny sighed. "—but you need to forgive him. Not forget what he did, or condone it, but forgive him. For the baby's sake."

"For the baby's sake? I'm doing this for the baby's sake! The baby does not need to have a father around who would leave the minute that things got difficult. I'm protecting the baby." Hermione placed her hands on her belly and looked away. "I wish things were different." She whispered. Ginny wasn't sure if Hermione was speaking to her or to herself. Ginny chose to reply anyway.

"Well they are not and you need to accept that. Ron isn't going to leave again. I'm sure of that."

"I wish that I could leave." She whispered, rolling on to her side away from Ginny. "Can I be alone now?"

Ginny stood up with a deep sigh. This was going to take a lot of work. Not saying another word, she left the dorm room.


End file.
